The construction of Chamkhar road will be completed soon, works and human settlement minister Dorji Choden said at the National Assembly on November 21.

The minister said this in response to the Opposition leader’s Pema Gyamtsho’s (PhD) query on the status of Chamkhar road. Of the 13.3 km of internal road, work on the 200-metre stretch is pending.

Lyonpo said that to promote integrated planned development and ensure efficient use of resources and infrastructure development, a holistic approach was prepared and approved in October 2013. Plans were submitted to the National Land Commission Secretariat (NLCS) through the dzongkhag administration.

She said that a group of planners from the ministry assisted the dzongkhag administration and NLCS at the site for over three months. “During their stay at the site, local issues affected by plan proposal such as plot reconfiguration were resolved and accepted by the land owners.”

The planning ensures that demolition of structures are minimised. “There are also few instances in Chamkhar where structures such as semi-permanent houses, compound walls, and septic tanks are affected by the infrastructure.”

She added that presentations and one to one consultations were conducted with landowners of Chamkhar.  However, it was learnt that the owner of a single-storied semi-permanent house did not turn up during the planner’s meeting. Then, the case was not submitted officially to the ministry since it could have been resolved at the local government level.

As per the pooling planning scheme, the landowner is required to contribute 28 percent of land. “After the land pooling contribution, his land holding did not allow him to retain the semi-permanent house. A part of his extended semi-permanent structure falls in the road which has to be removed and compensated,” Lyonpo Dorji Choden said.

About Nu 700,000- 800,000 amount of compensation was proposed.

Lyonpo Dorji Choden said the dzongkhag administration also reported that as there was no scope of realigning the road, the landowner would be asked to remove the extended single storied semi-permanent structure and compensated. Lyonpo said that the road would complete as soon as the issue is resolved.

The local area plan is spread over 200 acres.

Rinchen Zangmo