The town planning area in Lhamoi Dzingkha in Dagana has yet to see the construction of buildings after residents were issued land ownership certificates two years ago. They say plots are too small for constructing buildings while also citing financial constraints as a reason. On the other hand, the Dungkhag administration says the Local Area Plan is ready. Residents were moved to a temporary location to start planning works.
The town planning works of the Lhamoi Dzingkha town were started in December 2021. 51 business owners were granted land ownership certificates the next year.
To execute town planning works, shops were moved to a temporary location on state land near the Lhamoi Dzingkha Hospital. People cleared the area to set up their shops temporarily.
“We were given one month’s notice to relocate to the temporary location and we dismantled our shops and moved here. When we moved here, we officially wrote to acquire the land on lease for ten years. However, the duration was reduced to five years later and we signed that. After all that had been done, we received a new letter from the district administration asking us to move by February this year,” said Deoraj Pradhan, a plot owner of Lhamoi Dzingkha.
However, two years on, not a single structure has come up in the town. Plot owners said the small plot size and the ongoing loan moratorium on commercial housing are some of the reasons they could not start construction. The plot owners are divided into groups of four, three and two. Each group has to construct a two-storey building.
“As we have to construct the house in groups, some say that they don’t have money and some say the space is small, so it has been left like that till now,” said Dawa Zangmo Sherpa, another plot owner.
“The size of the plot is 500 square feet which is too small and we have to fit in the bathroom, shops and everything there,” said Chhatra Bdr Gurung, a plot owner.
The town planning area, which is 60-decimal in size, is divided among the 51 plot owners. They said it would require at least Nu 2.2 M to construct a two-storey building.
“People have dismantled their houses and here also they have constructed temporarily at their own expense. So all the money is finished here. If it is 1.2 decimal, then it comes 20 by 20 feet altogether. So, that area has to be divided into the kitchen, reception, toilet and restaurant space,” said Dilip Kumar Mukhia, a plot owner.
“Of the group of four plot owners, around three are financially weak. That is why we are facing the problem. But if we get a loan from the government side. We want to construct our house,” said Krishna Bdr Gurung, another plot owner.
“We have got all the maps, including architectural, structural and electrical things, it is almost ready. What the people have to do is they just have to bring an application for construction approval or construction permit. They have to pay Nu 3,000 for that. The drawings and designs have to be done by themselves, they have to bring their designs, but in this town, people are lucky that our Dzongkhag could furnish them with proper drawings,” said Mahesh Lepcha, Dungkhag engineer of Lhamoi Dzingkha.
On the other hand, the Dungkhag administration said all the planning works were almost complete and that people should come forward to start the construction works.
The plot owners said that during a meeting with the Dungpa, he assured them that they would not be asked to leave before the town was well established.
Before the recent notice to vacate the temporary plots, the district administration notified the plot holders to vacate the land by 30th June last year. The letter stated that the area has been approved to upgrade Lhamoi Dzingkha Middle Secondary School and works would be carried out at the beginning of the 13th Five Year Plan.
“As of now, we have not discussed the matter. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the new government will come within a short time. So, I think their directives will matter a lot. We will also approach the Dzongkhag administration and ministries. So that we can extend the lease term of the town as per our requirement. So that we can construct the town and the plot owners can also stay there,” said the Dungkhag engineer.
The Lhamoi Dzingkha town in Dagana which is more than five decades old was moved to a temporary location in 2022 to undergo a major facelift and execute the new town planning work.
Devika Pradhan, Dagana
Edited by Kipchu
