A little over 30 house owners of Chamkhar town in Bumthang have waived off their monthly house rents starting March this year according to figures collected by the Thromde Ngotshab’s office. This is following the monetary and fiscal measures launched by the Central Bank and the government in response to the economic distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. With entertainment centres effectively shut down since March, owners are hoping for the waivers to continue in the months to come.
One of the house owners who waived off 100 per cent house rent last month is Sonam Dorji. There are ten families who run general and garment shop and hoteliers in his two-storey building.
“During such unprecedented times when all businesses are affected by the pandemic, our landlord was kind enough to waive off 50 per cent rent from April to July. Moreover, he also waived off 100 per cent rent in August when the country remained under lockdown. We are really grateful to him,” said Kinley Tshering, a Hotelier at Chamkhar in Bumthang.
Elsewhere, some house owners have waived off house rents ranging from 4.5 per cent to 80 per cent over the 5-month period since fiscal measures were introduced. There are 134 structures in Chamkhar town, which are mostly semi-permanent, rebuilt completely or partially through Royal Kidu after the successive fire incidents on leased state land. Some house owners have been especially kind to people working in the tourism sector.
“I would like to thank my landlord R.B Biswa for waiving off 50 per cent house rent till now starting April. As I work in a tourist standard hotel along with my wife, we have had a difficult time as most of us are now laid off. Luckily, the rent waiver gave us some relief,” said Karma Tenzin, a Hotel staff in Bumthang.
With entertainment centres one of the hardest-hit sectors by the pandemic, owners are pleading for the continued support from building owners. In Chamkhar town, there are 13 entertainment centres such as karaoke bars, Drayangs and nightclubs making it the district with the second most number of such centres behind Thimphu. There are over 70 employees in these centres who are mostly jobless these days.
“All the staff and the entertainment centre owners are out of work for a very long time now. Some house owners have waived off a certain percentage of rents so far. There is no income whatsoever from the entertainment centres since mid of March but we still pay a certain amount for rent, so we want to request the owners to continue waiving off rents,” said Jigme Norbu, the Entertainment Center Representative in Chamkhar in Bumthang.
With snooker halls opened since 10th September, which are operational only on 50 per cent capacity, owners say it is difficult to attract players. This is affecting their income but house owners on the other hand are expected to charge the entire rent amount from this month.
“All the snooker owners are not able to attract players as only two players are allowed per board as of now. In Chamkhar, authorities have interpreted the fifty per cent capacity as two players per board, so we are bit confused as some games of snooker are played with ten players. Some sports like football are played with twenty-two players. It would benefit us if at least five players are allowed,” said Kinzang Chophel, a Snooker Hall Owner at Chamkhar.
According to Bumthang Dzongda, the player capacity has been reduced to two due to poor ventilation and limited space in snooker halls. He also said the waiting benches in the halls were also removed to discourage congestion. The rule will be enforced until further notice from the government according to the Dzongda.
Kipchu
