Male Iron Rat Year

Nim Dorji | Trongsa

The two central dzongkhags of Bumthang and Trongsa in the last one year saw huge expanse of fallow land become fertile fields and produce tonnes of crops.

Over hundreds of acres of fallow lands that remained barren for decades in these two dzongkhags have been converted into farmlands.

Thirty-five acres of fallow land were converted into farmland at Wobthang in Tang. The Wobthang Organic Wonders (WOW) initiated by the former Leader of Opposition, Pema Gyamtsho (PhD) and funded by the Prime Minister’s office.

In Chumey gewog, gewog and dzongkhag administrations helped develop acres of fallow land in various villages to proper fields.

In Trongsa, the Farm Machinery Corporation Ltd started the Phaithang Eco Agro Farm (PEAF), a farming project. The project has prepared around 50 acres of fallow land for large-scale commercial farming.

A group of private individuals in Langthel has started a farm in Lingdi covering 24 acres. The wetlands belonging to around 33 households which were left fallow for more than three decades were converted into a commercial farming project.

But the good news ends there.

A young man fell ill and died on the way home from the cordyceps collection site in Chhokhortoed. The cordyceps collectors incurred losses from the poor auction as the pandemic affected its exports.

The hospitality sector in the dzongkhags, which relies mostly on foreign tourists suffered and tourism stopped abruptly.

Commuters were left stranded for days when flash floods washed away bridges and stretches of the national highway between Wangdue and Trongsa. A 40 feet temporary bailey bridge over the Shawachhu was constructed in a record time of nine hours on the highway.

Chamdey Gangchhu stream flooded and swept away the belongings of six families leaving them homeless at Bjeezam. A shop, two huts and the bridge to Nubi gewog centre were washed away. Mangdechhu Hydro Power downstream of the river had to shut down almost a day.

The Royal Civil Service Commission recalled Trongsa Dzongdag Tenzin Dorji, who was appointed in August 2018. RCSC officials said they recalled the dzongdag as per the executive and specialists’ management division policy but did not specify why.

In Bumthang, Pema Lingpa Day was officially observed in Tamzhing monastery for the first time. The death anniversary of Terton Pema Lingpa had been observed every year on the third day of the first month of the Bhutanese calendar since he passed away in 1521.

During the bye-election in Chhoekhor-Tang constituency, Bumthang saw Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa’s Dawa win an additional seat in the National Assembly.

DNT’s Dawa secured 2,889 against DPT’s Tenzin Norbu who got 1,707 votes.

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