SARBHANG

Written by M.B. Subba, Gelephu    

Feb 07, 2009: Harka from Patelay carried salt and other edible items from Sarpang on his back some 35 years ago.

Now he cannot imagine walking even to Damphu, because there is a bus service available. He will wait at Tsirangtoe, from where he can  avail bus service to Damphu, the capital main trade centre for the people of Tsirang. There, if the bus or taxi does not come, he will return home.

A couple of decades ago, there were hardly any people who knew what a taxi or a bus was, but now there are more than 15 taxis in Damphu. The people have become so habituated that they cannot thibnk of walking a distance of even one kilometer.

“I have been walking this village to Damphu for more than 40 years but today I cannot go town without a taxi,” said a farmer of Gosaling Gewog. He used to carry all the necessary goods to his home including the salt.

The first taxi was a Maruti Van. The ‘Mahindras’ and others came later. The villagers call the vans ‘taxi’ while the other taxis are known as Bolero and Alto, according to whatever brand the vehicle is.

The introduction of the taxi services has been very useful to the farmers as they can easily transport their products to the market for sale.

Yeshey, a civil servant, said that the people’s preference for hiring taxis is increasing. “The times are changing with a rapid pace, and the drivers also have to keep up with the times” he said.

There are, however, more than the required number of taxis in the town.

There are instances of drivers fighting for the limited number of passengers of the dzongkhag.

Observers feel that the number of taxis in the town is in accordance with the requirement of the time. Due to the introduction of taxi services, farmers have started vegetable cultivation at the commercial level.