After more than a decade of construction moratorium, residents of Kabesa in Thimphu are now hopeful that they would finally be able to start construction on their land. The moratorium was placed due to delay in finalising their Local Area Plan or LAP. With the development of the LAP approaching its final stage, the Department of Human Settlement conducted a final public consultation on the plan with landowners in Kawang Gewog today. The initial draft of the plan was developed in 2016.
Officials from the Department of Human Settlement presented the final draft of Kabesa LAP, a detailed guide that will help organise and plan how land in Kabesa will be used and developed to the people.
Currently, over 60 per cent of existing infrastructure in Kabesa are permanent structures.
An official from the Department of Human Settlement told BBS that they preserved as much of the existing infrastructure as possible in the Local Area Plan.
According to the final draft, a maximum of three storeys will be allowed for house constructions.
Over three hundred landowners from Dazhi_Zhoshuel, Chhokhor Norbugang, and Kuzhugchen gathered today, filled with excitement and hope that development will take place soon.
Sonam Dorji, Kawang Mangmi said “Until now, we have been waiting because we could not even construct a toilet on our land. However, the Department of Human Settlement has worked on the Local Area Plan, and we will soon be permitted to proceed. We hope that our people’s aspirations, held for over ten years, will soon be fulfilled.”
Kinely Penjore, Dazhi_Zhoshuel Tshogpa in Kawang Gewog said “Officials are making it clear to individuals about the road connectivity to their location and how much land will be affected by entering their CID and thram numbers in the system. Thus, all the doubts and confusion of the kamzhing or dry land owners have been clarified today.”
Perpon, a resident said “The plans could not be completed, and disagreements among the people caused further delays. I am very happy that our problems will finally be resolved.”
Choden, another resident said “Due to our lack of knowledge about land pooling, we had no idea where the roads would be paved, making it difficult even to distribute land among our children. We were left confused and inactive for many years. However, now that the government has worked on the plan, we understand land demarcation and the plans for road paving, which has put our minds at ease.”
The landowners reviewed, discussed, and provided feedback on the Local Area Plan that was presented and also raised their specific plot-related concerns.
Once the plan is approved, the Thimphu District Administration and the Kawang Gewog Administration will request validation and demarcation from the National Land Commission.
For now, the plans extend to only kamzhing, or dry land.
Meanwhile, in an entirely different project, the National Land Commission, along with other relevant agencies, will study and analyse the chhuzhing, or wetland in Thimphu in November this year.
Kinzang Lhadon
Edited by Kipchu
