The house did not deliberate both the issues of Paro Thromde and up-gradation of Gyalpoizhing HSS

Assembly: The National Assembly (NA) will not re-deliberate the Paro thromde issue again, deputy speaker Chimi Dorji informed the House yesterday.

The Opposition Party had submitted two motions- up-gradation of Gyalpoizhing Higher Secondary School to a college and a petition for re-deliberation on the Paro Dzongkhag Thromde. Both issues were not admitted in the agenda.

Deputy speaker Chimi Dorji said the issues would not be deliberated because a joint sitting of the Parliament endorsed the Paro thromde boundary in the last session with a majority of 60 votes. However, the people of Paro had appealed for a review on the decision.

“Expressing dissatisfaction to a resolution passed by the parliament is a serious problem,” Chimi Dorji said.

On July 24, the deputy speaker had led a team comprising representatives from NA, Ministry of Works and Human Settlement, Election Commission of Bhutan and home ministry to meet the representatives of the affected people and local leaders in Paro.

Chimi Dorji said, he thoroughly clarified to the public about the procedures and laws of the parliament and how decisions are made in the parliament.

“We now decide that Paro thromde will not be re-deliberated,” he said adding he was worried that a re-deliberation poses a risk of Paro not getting a thromde at all.

After announcing the decision, the deputy speaker restricted any comment from the floor although the Opposition Leader did raise his hand several times.

However, soon after the Opposition Leader left the hall, the deputy speaker called on one member from the opposition to comment on his clarification note.

South Thimphu representative Yeshey Zimba said the people of Paro were not happy with the parliament’s resolution and the opposition wanted it to be re-discussed because a lot of confusion arose in the earlier decision.

“What people wanted and the decision the parliament took is totally opposite,” he said. “A mistake once made at planning a town will have consequences forever.”

He said the opposition is not happy with the house rejecting a repeated plea of the people.

Khar-Yurug MP Zangley Dukpa referring to the opportunity that was denied to the opposition to comment said that the speaker’s authority must be used properly.

“But the way the speaker used his authority in the morning was not fair,” he said.

Deputy speaker also informed the house that the second motion, up-gradation of Gyalposhing Higher Secondary School to a college, would not be discussed as well.

He explained that the resolutions on up-gradation of educational institutions were already discussed in the question hour sessions in the past and was referred to the education ministry. The issue, he said was again discussed during the preliminary agenda-setting meeting for the current session, where members again decided not to admit the petition.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Information and Communications introduced the Civil Aviation Bill of Bhutan, 2015 to the House yesterday. Presenting the Bill, the minister informed that the new Bill replaces the existing Civil Aviation Act 2000 given the changing scenario in the field of civil aviation both at home and abroad.

He said the Bill was mainly aimed at meeting the international aviation standards and addressing the safety issues which has ensued in modern civil aviation.

Panbang MP Dorji Wangdi said the bill should also have provisions pertaining to the recently introduced helicopter services.

Other members however said that rules and regulations framed by relevant agencies would suffice the operation needs of helicopter services.

The house referred the bill to the environment and urban development committee for review to be tabled in the summer session of the Parliament.

Nirmala Pokhrel

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