Around 70 landowners, whose land now falls under the extended town area in Trashiyangtse, are not keen to be part of the town. They have put up a petition to the Dzongkhag requesting not to include them under the town area.
The landowners say they will lose access to rural subsidies like timber sand and stone if their land gets included within the town plan. “We have to pay higher taxes,” said Neten, one of the residents in Trashiyangtse.
Besides, people are questioning why a remote Dzongkhag should have a bigger town. They say the old town has not seen much development and they don’t expect a new town to bring about new developments as well.
Also, construction of houses in the 2009 extended town area has been held up for over two years. This has further discouraged the new land owners despite Dzongkhag assuring them that the construction of houses will resume soon.
According to Trashiyangtse Dzongda, Sangay Duba, the Ministry of Works and Human Settlement has agreed to send the planners within this month. “Since we already have a road network and since the area for the town is small, there is no need for major planning works,” said the Dzongda.
More than half of the town’s area is wetland. Unlike in other towns, wetland in Trashiyangste will not be allowed to be converted it into dry land. This is to preserve the roosting ground for the Black Necked Cranes.
“If we are to be part of the new town, we should be allowed to convert our wetland to construct houses,” said Choten Dendup, a resident in Trashiyangtse. Otherwise, he said, those people owning less dry land will face problem in future.
The landowners have been told that the town’s demarcation came from the National Assembly.
Trashiyangtse is the only town in the country where concrete buildings are not allowed to be built.
