Dewathang town is believed to have been established in the 1960s during the construction of the Samdrup Jongkhar-Trashigang national highway. But the town is yet to change in terms of infrastructural development. The development in the town has been slow.
A quick tour of the Dewathang town and it is the same as how it was decades ago with the old single and two-storied buildings. As of today, only two individuals have constructed four-storied buildings in the town.
Without a lagthram or land ownership certificates, people were not allowed to construct buildings in the past. However, with the approval of land ownership in 2017, the thromde administration finalised the local area plan and started giving construction approval the same year.
Even today, not many have been able to start the construction. While some blamed the pandemic, a few said it’s difficult to afford to start the construction.
“It is difficult to get loans from banks since we need guarantor and mortgage. And without money, people cannot construct buildings. Our parents have been here for almost 30 to 50 years without a lagthram. It was only a few years ago that we were issued with the lagthram,” said Sonam Jamtsho, a resident in the town.
“Before I was not allowed to construct since I did not have a lagthram. But after we were issued with the lagthram a few years ago, the COVID pandemic affected the construction. Amid the pandemic, we weren’t able to get labourers and materials to construct buildings. Otherwise, there is a good opportunity as we have hospitals, schools and a college,” said Norkey, another resident.
Meanwhile, the Samdrup Jongkhar Thromde administration is planning to organise a meeting with the people and bank officials. The meeting is expected to educate the people on financial services from the banks as most of them are illiterate.
Dewathang town became part of the Samdrup Jongkhar Thromde in 2011.
Kinley Wangchuk, Samdrup Jongkhar
Edited by Sonam Pem
