The housing crunch is not a new story in Samdrup Jongkhar Thromde. Getting affordable and comfortable houses for rent is next to impossible. Many especially the civil servants transferred there are struggling to find a decent apartment for rent.
Sonam Tobgay got a job six months ago and he was posted in Samdrup Jongkhar Dzongkhag Administration. He said he was excited to start his career and had many plans like buying furniture and other household items. But after reaching there, Sonam Tobgay could not find a house to stay. He has been living in a hotel room for a month now.
“When I reach here, I got a one-room apartment for Nu 3,000. But the room condition was not good and there was no water supply. I decided to shift and with the help from my friends and seniors, I got one hotel room. Actually, if I pay room charges per night I have to pay more but the hotel owner agreed for a monthly rent of Nu 5,000 for it.”
Like Sonam, there are others too.
“With dzongkhag administration, thromde, regional offices and other private offices, the population has also been increasing. So it has become extremely difficult to find a house. I have been here for more than a year but still, I didn’t get a comfortable house. At present, I stay in a room,” Yenten Phuntsho, a civil servant, said.
They added that most building owners rent their apartments for commercial purpose and not for residential.
“There are many buildings out here, through my experience of six months, I feel many Indian shopkeepers out here makes their store and warehouse in private residential houses causing housing shortage,” Sonam Tobgay said.
“We don’t get a house because firstly there are not many building constructions coming up and even if a building is constructed they prefer to rent it for commercial purposes,” Yenten Phuntsho said.
Some of the civil servants raised the issue during the dzongkhag tshogdu last month. They said at present there is no one monitoring the housing-related issue in the thromde.
The meeting decided that the thromde administration along with relevant agencies should look into the issue and work towards addressing it.
Meanwhile, the National Housing Development Corporation (NHDCL) and the National Pension and Provident Fund (NPPF) have allocated government units to about 200 people in Samdrup Jongkhar Thromde. But it is not enough. The NHDCL plans to construct more.
