Five households of Rinchentse village under Darla Gewog have been complaining against Chhukha Dzongkhag over a leased land. They say that they have been neither paid the lease payment for three years nor provided with substitute land for their wet land leased to Tala Hydro Project Authority (THPA), in 1997. The wet land was leased as a camp site of the Project.
On the other hand, Dzongkhag says substitute land is ready if the concerned villagers cooperate.
The issue cropped up in 2008, when THPA was taken over by Druk Green Power Corporation. The Dzongkhag had then proposed to shift the thram of the leased wet land permanently under DGPC’s name. The villagers were promised substitute land.
The Dzongkhag had asked the villagers themselves to look for land of their choice within the Gewog. “Since the land that we give may not be suitable for the land owners we had asked them to look for suitable government land within their Gewog,” said Tshewang Rinzin, Chhukha Dzongda.
Today, an army camp has been constructed on the leased land. And since there are permanent structures built on wet land, it is necessary to convert and register the area as dry land before transferring Thram in DGPC’s name. But the five households did not agree to this arrangement. They said even if they get substitute land, it will be a dry land on which they cannot cultivate.
“We will get the substitute land but what about the lease payment for three years,” questions one of the villagers.
“We would be happy if the Dzongkhag could help us in converting the substitute lands into wet land,” said another villager.
To this, Dzongkhag said they are ready to help convert the land as wet land but villagers want it to be registered as dry land while they cultivate. This, the Dzongkhag said, is not possible.
“They were asking for lease rent for the last three years but last three years as you look at it they were looking for land and then they came up with the land substitution only this year,” said the Dzongda.
The villagers said substitute land was surveyed in 2009 but the environment clearance for the land did not get through. On the other hand, Dzongkhag officials said some villagers were not happy with the substitute land surveyed then.
However, the Dzongkhag has again surveyed another substitute land. They said as soon as the villagers agree to convert and transfer the Thram, they will be given their land substitution.
“Substitute land is already measured in their name and it is not us who forced the land on them. It is they who identified the land for themselves. I have explained to them that this is the only procedure left now and once they do that it would be clarified,” said Tshewang Rinzin, Chhukha Dzongda.
Meanwhile, as the issue stands in a dividing line, villagers said they have been paying annual tax for the leased land as well.
