The government plans to present the Spatial Planning Bill 2019 during the winter session of the Parliament. The works and human settlement minister said this at the joint-sitting of the Parliament today when the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommended the government table the bill at the earliest. The bill drafted around five years ago is yet to enacted into an act.
The PAC recommended tabling the bill as it would institute a comprehensive human settlement planning system. It will provide fair, orderly, economic and sustainable use of land.
The works and human settlement minister Dorji Tshering said the Spatial Planning Bill is ready. The Cabinet asked the ministry to harmonize it with other laws such as the Tenancy Act and the Local Government Act.
“The cabinet also asked us to draft a Housing Bill while reviewing the Spatial Planning Bill. The draft for the Housing Plan Bill is 50 per cent complete. We were also ordered to come up with a Human Settlement Plan Bill. We had to harmonize all three Bills and this took time. However, we are planning to present them to the parliament during the winter session.”
In an earlier interview with the BBS, the foreign minister Dr Tandi Dorji said aligning the bill with other laws will ensure smooth execution of overall development programmes in the country.
According to some urban planners, the Spatial Planning Bill will clearly spell out the powers and function of the ministry, Dzongkhag Thromde, Yenlag Thromde and gewogs in different structural planning.
They said the Local Government Act on which the implementation of any structural plans is currently based lacks clarity in terms of governing urban areas.
They added the Local Government Act on which the implementation of any structural plans is currently based lacks clarity in terms of governing urban areas.
The Royal Audit Authority’s Performance Audit Report on Urban Planning and Development in Thimphu Throm, released in 2019 also asked the ministry to justify why the bill was not endorsed as an act and asked the ministry to expedite the enactment of the bill, considering its importance.
Karma Wangdi / Sonam Tenzin
