Despite repeated appeals to the Parliamentarians and local authorities of Zhemgang, People of Dhakphel village under Nangkor Gewog still wait to integrate their village with Trong Gewog.
Trong Gewog is just 16 km away from their village whereas it is 36 km to present gewog in Nangkor at Buli.
“It is only one and a half hour walk to reach the Trong Gewog centre. It takes very long from here to Buli, where our gewog centre is. If our proposal is sanctioned, it would be very easy and convenient for us,” Rinchen Tshering, from Dakpel, Nangkor Gewog, said.
Some 17 households have submitted a first appeal letter to the dzongkhag administration of Zhemgang in 2013, stating their village to merge under Trong Gewog administration because of proximity to it. Similarly in 2015, again a written appeal was submitted to the Dzongkhag administration through Gewog Tshogdu. Dhakphel people said problem becomes grimmer when they have to attend important gewog meetings.
“We proposed to put our village under Trong Gewog and it has been about ten years that we have submitted our appeal letters. We don’t know what happened thereafter. Buli being our gewog centre, it is very difficult for us to travel there,” said Needup Dorji, from Dhakphel, Nangkor.
At present, if Dhakphel people have to attend an official meeting or personal works at gewog centre, they have to either catch a public transport bus of Buli or hire private cars from Dhakphel-Buli junction, which charge them about Nu 300-400.
“We could not merge till date and we have been facing serious problems, gewog being too far from our village and every time we go to the gewog centre, we have to hire a car. So, if our village is merged with Trong Gewog, we can go in the morning and come back by evening very easily,” added Sonam Jamtsho, also from Dhakphel.
However, Zhemgang Dzongkhag administration said they are aware of the inconvenience and the Department of Local Government had asked Dzongkhag administration to relook and revisit the case sometime in 2015. The Dzongkhag administration has received a letter from the ECB stating, the delimitation rules do not permit Dhakphel village to merge with another gewog, it will be allowed only after ten years.
Dzongkhag officials said Dhakphel people still need to wait another two years to meet the delimitation rules.
Dhakphel is 19 km away from Zhemgang dzong.
