The preparation of Local Area Plan or LAP for a town development in Telung in Dechhenling Gewog in Pema Gatshel has been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, now with restrictions all lifted, people want it to resume at the earliest. If not, the rural-urban migration may escalate. Currently, the village has only 50 families.
According to our bureau correspondent in Pema Gatshel, many people especially youth are increasingly migrating to urban areas in search of improved employment prospects and better future.
Therefore, villagers say before their homeland is completely deserted, they want the LAP for the town development to resume soon.
Works to prepare the LAP began in 2020 but were stalled due to COVID. Since the district administration does not have enough manpower like urban planners, it recently wrote to the Works and Human Settlement Ministry for technical and manpower support.
The district has yet to receive a response.
In the meantime, people wanting to construct concrete houses have been asked to wait until the LAP materialises.
“Some people are planning to construct houses. But we don’t get the approval from the dzongkhag. We are not even allowed to construct huts and even if this is allowed wooden planks will be destroyed by pests within a year or so,” said one of the residents in Telung, Sonam Chedon.
Other residents expressed similar views.
“I thought of constructing a better house on loans or by borrowing money from friends. But we are restricted as the town plan has still not come through,” added another resident, Sonam Wangchuk.
“If we cannot construct three to four-storied buildings, we can have an opportunity to construct at least single-storied one. So, we would be grateful if the Local Area Plan is approved soon,” commented Tsundu Dorji, who is also a resident in Telung.
With the LAP still at a nascent stage and yet to be implemented, one can see a few makeshift huts and shops.
“If the town planning is done faster and if we can grant the approval of house constructions, it would benefit the people at large,” said Dechhenling Gup Jimba Phuntsho.
The district administration identified Telung to develop a town considering its good economic prospects as it is near the Gyalpoizhing-Nganglam highway. The place also shares a border with Monggar and Zhemgang districts.
Thinley Dorji, Pema Gatshel
Edited by Pema Lhaden
