With numerous developmental works taking place and the population growing by the year, Monggar town is struggling to meet the increasing demand for housing units.
The shortage has compelled many residts to share flats. Others live far away, some as far as an hour’s walk from their offices.
“I’ve been living here for almost a year now and I’m yet to find a house for myself,” Tenzin Wangchuk, a resident said.
Tenzin says he has no option but to live in a shared house. “I hope the concerned agencies would do something about it,” he added.
Yeshi Penjor, another resident, who had to settle for a shared apartment said he would love to rent a place of his own.
“I share my house with a friend and it’s inconvenient when our family and relatives visit,” Yeshi said.
The issue of housing crunch was discussed at the third Dzongkhag Tshogdu.
The DT resolved the problem would be solved if the National Housing and Development Corporation Limited (NHDCL) constructs housing colony for the civil servants in the town.
The NHDCL, after receiving the DT resolution, has asked the dzongkhag administration to identify a plot for the construction.
The DT has also written to the National Pension and Provident Fund (NPPF) on the matter. “We have asked NPPF to identify a plot to build a housing colony and report to us,” Thromde Thuemi Namgay Dorji said.
The housing shortage in the town is not new. The town has been in short of housing units for quite some time now, but it was only recently that the dearth became acute.
The fire in 2016 that razed three traditional houses added to the problem. The fire had also damaged attic units of two other buildings, while another traditional house had to be dismantled to create a fire break or to prevent the fire from spreading to other houses.
