… after His Majesty granted tsamdro as a soelra to the highlanders

Rinzin Wangchuk 

His Royal Highness Gyaltshab Jigme Dorji Wangchuck handed over Tsamdro (pastureland) Use Thrams to 324 households in Merak, Trashigang yesterday.  Merak gewog has 33,411 acres of pastureland.

On October 24, His Royal Highness Gyaltshab accompanied by Ashi Yeatso Lhamo handed over the Tsamdro Use Thram to 285 households in Sakteng gewog, which has 44,713 acres of tsamdro land.

Explaining the rationale behind this initiative to the highlanders, National Land Commission’s Secretary Dasho Pema Chewang said that all tsamdro rights maintained in the thram prior to the enactment of the Land Act 2007 were deleted from the thram and the tsamdro land was reverted and maintained as the State land as per the Section 235 of the Act.

The highlanders who are directly dependent on tsamdro, however, were given an opportunity to retain their tsamdro rights under lease irrespective of possession of livestock and their herd size.

Since the highlanders are directly dependent on tsamdro and they have a critical responsibility for the security of the borders, His Majesty The King granted tsamdro as a soelra to the people of Merak and Sakten, according to Dasho Pema Chewang. 

He said that His Majesty commanded to allow all highlanders not only to retain their tsamdro rights under lease but also to provide them pastureland ownership to sustain their livelihood. “That is why HRH Gyaltshab is here to grant the Tsamdro Use Thram to the people of Merak and Sakteng,” Dasho Pema Chewang told the highlanders.

He also said as commanded by His Majesty, the NLCS has developed mobile Apps to streamline the survey of tsamdro like wet land and dry land where thram holders can survey their pastureland themselves without involving surveyors.

“This will greatly reduce the cost for the government as well as time,” Dasho Pema Chewang said.