Gungtongs or empty houses in Nichula, Dagana are being blamed for the growing human-wildlife conflict in the gewog.
Of the 151 households in Nichula Gewog, 49 are empty.
The gewog has five chiwogs- Dramze-Kesa, Yarphelling, Damchhunang, Dangreybu and Gangtogkha.
“Yarphelling Chiwog has the maximum number of gungtongs. However, in 2017, four families returned to the village,” Nichula Gewog Mangmi Padam said.
The Mangmi said the gungtongs also cause problems during tax collection.
“It hampers in the planning and execution of gewog developmental works as well,” the Mangmi added.
To help ease problems related to human-wildlife conflict, the government provided all five chiwogs in the gewog with free electric fencing. But the fencing has been of no or little help.
The gewog falls in the Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary, and elephants and wild boars continue to ravage their crops.
“People have left their homes to go to different districts. The gungtongs result in more forestation, which brings the wild animals closer to our homes,” Garjaman, a farmer said.
“No matter how closely we guard our fields, the animals linger around and attack our crops. If the people who left return, it would help solve this problem,” the farmer added.
The people in the gewog say the lack of developmental works is driving people out of their villages into urban areas, which is aggravating the problem of human-wildlife conflict in the gewog.
For instance, there is no motorable bridge over the Sunkosh river, which means long walking hours for the villagers.
The rural-urban migration, in turn, is causing farm labor shortage.
They are hoping the 12th Five Year Plan would have better things in store for them.
