After waiting for more than three years, Lhuentse Dzongkhag Administration has allowed the private landowners to construct houses on their respective plots in Autsho. The decision came after a meeting with the residents last year . However, 34 households who are currently residing on private leased lands and do not own a plot, are not happy with the decision. Only 14 households have land title certificate or lagthram.
Cheki Dorji, a resident in Autsho said, “Once the private landowners get the approval to begin the construction of houses, we were worried. We don’t know where to shift our home when they begin the construction works.”
“The little amount we have saved was spent while shifting our home. We have to often shift our home since it’s constructed on other’s land. So government has to immediately look into our concern,” said Tenzin Dorji, a resident.
Cheki Wangmo, another resident said, “I thought of applying for a leased land from the government. It is inconvenient without a proper home to stay. It is not reliable to stay in a private leased land since we have to vacate it as and when the landowner asks us to vacate.”
Until 2018, these people were running small businesses on state land on lease, paying a rental fee of over Nu 4,000 a year.
However, when satellite town was approved and started working on developing the town, the residents were asked to vacate. So they leased private lands and moved to current locations. They are paying around Nu 7,500 annually.
Tshering Tashi, a resident said, “The Dzongkhag asked us to vacate our houses, which were constructed on the state land and we immediately demolished our houses within one month.”
The current temporary huts according to the people are more vulnerable to fire.
The Dzongkhag Administration say the office has to get land allotment approval from National Land Commission for those residents without land certificate to occupy the state land.
Lhuentse Dzongda Jambay Wangchuk said, “They will have to wait for the government’s approval because that is state’s plot. We have already submitted certain criteria on how to allocate the plot but we have to wait for the National Land Commission’s approval.”
“If you allot government’s plot for an individual to stay until that new town is ready, then it will be really difficult to move them later. Then they will be staying there and even if they can they are not going to move out. But as an individual, one should also take responsibility. During those discussions, everybody agreed that they would do it themselves.” he added.
He says that Autsho satellite town will have three different zones including a core town and two other villages lying on the outskirt of the core zone.
He said, “The plot demarcation and the road networking has been done. We have completed mapping for 48 plots in the core town, the design and layout of the town, and the aesthetic part and architectural aspects are also completed.”
He said the planning works took few years since they have to get approvals from Ministry of Works and Human Settlement and the National Land Commission.
Local leaders raised the concern on the delaying developmental activities at town area during the recent Dzongkhag Tshogdu. The house resolved to forward the matter to the parliament and to National Land Commission for a review.
The government approved the establishment of a satellite town in Autsho in 2015.
Currently there are almost fifty-business license holders in Autsho and most of them have constructed a temporary structure on private leased land. Once the private landholders begin the construction works, most of them might have to demolish their temporary shelters.
Sonam Tshering, Lhuentse.
