Many people in Chhudzom Gewog under Sarpang want to exchange their land with the government land. Most of them have left their lands fallow for many years with wild animals attacking their crops and fear of floods washing away their lands and homes. And this has left many unable to cultivate anything.
The gewog received about 20 land exchange applications so far. And none have been approved. During the recent Dzongkhag Tshogdu, the local leaders expressed concerns.
“I think there is a need to come up with initiatives where people are provided land nearby their settlement area. This will greatly benefit them,” said Bishnu Prasad Rai, Chhudzom Gup.
The Rules and Regulations for Lease of Government Reserved Forest Land and Government land allows the exchange of rural registered land with government reserved land if the land is destroyed by natural calamities or if the land falls within critical watershed areas.
“There’s a big reason for this consideration. Majority of our lands in the country would require exchange. That’s why presently the land commission and the agriculture ministry consider and accept land exchange only under these two circumstances,” said Wangdi, Sarpang district’s land registration officer.
The Dzongkhag Tshogdu asked the local authorities to form a committee to verify and assess the land exchange applications and process accordingly.
Karma Wangdi, Sarpang
Edited by Sonam Pem
