People occupying government housing in Thimphu must now adhere to a new set of conditions if they want to continue to occupy the shelter. The tenants and their spouses must not own property in Thimphu Thromde and their combined gross income must not exceed the threshold set for the housing category. To be eligible for Changjiji Housing Unit, the gross household income must be between Nu 24,000 to 40,000 per month.
Following a recent assessment of eligibility criteria, the National Housing Development Corporation issued eviction notices to over 20 tenants of Changjiji Colony in Thimphu last month.
They were asked to leave by February end.
They got another one month extension after the affected tenants requested for one.
The corporation made it clear that no further extensions will be considered.
However, exceptions may be made for vulnerable groups.
Chandra Bdr. Gurung, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport said “The government will closely examine the cases of single parents with school-going children, tenants with serious medical conditions, or those with dependents with disabilities. Similarly, we will also consider cases where tenants have just a year or two remaining until retirement”
According to the minister, the conditions are designed to ensure that government buildings are allocated to genuinely deserving tenants and to prevent higher-income tenants from occupying the units.
The minister said gross household income should be considered instead of net Income.
This is because the gross income includes all allowances drawn as part of the salary, as these are also forms of income.
This approach ensures a comprehensive assessment of the household’s financial capacity.
He added that government housing units are primarily reserved for employees in grades S4 and below.
Allowing higher-income tenants to remain would limit access to these units for others on the waiting list who are in greater need.
Tashi Dekar
