A family in Drujegang Gewog in Dagana is spending sleepless nights after they have been asked to vacate the house and the land on which they have lived for the past 18 years. Our Tsirang reporter, Yeshi Nidup, takes a closer look at their predicament.
Fifty three-year-old Parvita Nirula is from Tsirang. She moved to Pangna village in Drujegang gewog in Dagana after she bought an acre of land in the village. That was 18 years ago.
She has been told that the land where they have lived for little less than two decades belongs to the government and they have been asked to move out.
“We have worked so hard on this land and now they are telling us to leave in a day or two. Where can we go? Where do we live?” said Parvita, “They also said we won’t be given any compensation for the land and the house.”
The land that until recently used to be filled with vegetables and fruits now lie fallow. She says she has 11 members to feed.
Parvita purchased the land from Lognath Bandari and Lognath Bandari in turn purchased from it from Karma Samdrup. She even has a lagthram.
However, Karma Samdrup was found guilty by court for illegal possession of government land in 2008. He says the land belonging to her was exchanged with his land in Pangserbu village in the same Gewog with the approval from then Home Minister late Tamshing Jagar in 1975.
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“I didn’t possess this land illegally and I had tharm in my name. In those days there were no offices and even files were not managed. As time went by, Gups went on changing but all I found was my Lagthram and the approval letter from the late Minister was missing,” said Karma Samdrup.
He said after 35 years, a case on this land was filed against him and he was found guilty as he couldn’t present the approval letter to the court.
Drujeygang Gup, Thinley Wangchuk, says the land belonging to Parvita has been allocated as substitute land to those people who have lost their land to construct the school.
Tshering Norbu who has been allocated the land of Parvita Nirula says they did not force the Gewog Administration to allocate the land belonging to Parvita Nirula and her family.
“Aum Parvita cried when we went with land survey officials. Actually I was to get three acres of land from that area but out of pity I have decided not to take the one acre land and house belonging to her.”
Many people in the Gewog, say Parvita and her family have been discriminated by the Gup office.
The Drujeygang Gup says the nothing much could be done as the family did not come to the office to clarify the situation.
Seven months ago, she grew varieties of fruits, vegetables and other crops enough to feed her families but not this season. The land that she lived for 18 years, the lagthram that she holds and the land taxes she paid till date holds no meaning.
