Monthly Archives: December, 0

Thimphu, like the rest of the places across the country, is synonymous with water scarcity. But there is another issue more concerning than that facing the residents of the capital. With water pipes in some parts of the city being laid along the drains, some residents fear water contamination leading to water-borne diseases.

People travelling toward Trashi Yangtse can expect a better travel experience starting this summer. This is because the district has launched two Reinforced Cement Concrete or RCC Girder bridges between Chazam in Trashigang and Trashi Yangtse. Although the construction of the two bridges was completed in August, the formal inaugural was held yesterday.

People can now report to the Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority or the erstwhile Office of Consumer Protection, if they observe an unusual hike in the prices of essentials including cereals, cooking oil and milk powder in the market. The office issued a public notification stating that the sales tax and customs duty of about 140 goods have been reduced with the enactment of the Tax Act of Bhutan, 2022. This is expected to ease inflationary pressure in the market.

Saling Gewog Administration in Monggar has forwarded the case involving a group of people from Raesa and a religious teacher to the District Administration. The group accused a religious teacher of creating disharmony in the community through a religious talk held earlier this month.  The group has submitted two petition letters to the gewog administration last week requesting for investigation.

A landslide has blocked the farm road between Wungborang and Nomey villages in Pema Gatshel during the monsoon. Although some blocks were cleared, the road between the upper part of Wungborang which connect the village with Nomey remains blocked even today. The residents are now requesting the Gewog to clear it before the onset of the rainy season.

The Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital has carried out its first knee replacement surgery and that too successfully. The surgery is normally carried out on people with worn-out or injured knee joints and involves removing the damaged joint and replacing it with a man-made artificial joint. Such cases were referred to India till now.

Despite the construction of a farm road, the villagers of Wunborang in Pema Gatshel remain cut off during the monsoon season. The farm road constructed early last year has connected the village to the rest of the country but that is until the rainy season starts and makes the road non-pliable for several months. To address the issue, officials are constructing bridges along the road.

The Royal Civil Service Commission will now disallow civil servants to add leave, including earned leave, to Extra Ordinary Leave or EoL. The Commission announced this in light of the increasing number of civil servants adding earned leave to the EOL.

Occupational health and safety are a concern in workplaces across the country. This year, between July and November, the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources penalised nearly forty employers and ninety employees for the violation of occupational health and safety regulations in Thimphu alone. The Ministry says the level of occupational safety in the country is concerning.

Without a higher secondary school, residents of Langthil Gewog have been sending their children to either Trongsa or Zhemgang for studies. Sending their children 50 kilometres away from the gewog has worried the parents. Concerned with the matter, the parents and the local leaders are requesting the district authorities to upgrade the Langthil Lower Secondary School.