Soon after the end of the annual Tsepamay wang in Lhuentse, tensions broke out between the dzongkhag administration and business entities. People accused the administration of an unprecedented decision after officials asked them to remove the temporary stalls yesterday. Business entities claim they were usually allowed to do business a day after the wang in the past.
The annual Tsepamey wang is also seen as a good opportunity for business people as thousands of devotees gather for the religious occasion. The wang was on Sunday. The situation turned dirty yesterday when people continued the business beyond the allotted time. According to them, the day after the wang is usually a good period to do business and it was in practice for a long time.
However, they said the officials treated them poorly this time and rushed them out. According to a businessman who preferred to remain unnamed, the charges for the stall area were already high for the duration which was just a day and a half. “Moreover, they ordered us to dismantle by five and they sent police as well. There was no light. It was very difficult for us to pack and a lot of food was wasted. Those from other districts had to leave at midnight. It has been really difficult for us and we are not happy at all.”
“We had some issues on the last day after the wang. They disconnected the lights at about 5:30 before we could finish packing our things. It was very difficult for us to pack up in the dark,” said another.
A businessman said he seized the opportunity to make a living at the Wang since he could not do anything in the last few years due to the pandemic. “Since Sunday was an auspicious day on the Bhutanese calendar, customers hardly turned up. So, we were expecting them yesterday. But without power and water supply, we couldn’t attend to our customers. The boiled meat products and fish are wasted. We are really unhappy about this.”
“We could start only towards the evening of Saturday. Earlier the dzongkhag used to give us about three days but this was just about two days. They did not inform us in the beginning,” another businessman said.
However, officials said everything was done in accordance with what was discussed in the coordination meeting.
“People are accusing us that we have cut the power and water supply before time. Actually, we told them clearly what was there in the minutes of the coordination meeting when we allotted them space. It is clearly mentioned in the meeting minutes that everything should be dismantled and clear the area by Monday evening,” said Samten Jangchuk Singye, the Thromde Thuemi.
According to the Dzongrab, the dzongkhag administration did not cut the power supply and water connections. He said the relevant agencies must have done this in accordance with the minutes of the coordination meeting that was held prior to the event. The Dzongrab said they did not receive any letters officially requesting the extension of the time. Moreover, he said the area was a construction site of a government project and the project was already running late with its completion date.
According to sources, there were more than thirty stalls for restaurants and garments among others.
Kinley Dem
Edited by Sonam
