Thromde: Gelephu thromde office will allot plots at its industrial services centre this week.

Gelephu thromde officials said the construction works on water and electricity lines, and internal roads of the plots are nearing completion.

There has been huge demand for the plots at the centre. The thromde office has received 208 applications for the plots at the centre as of yesterday.

There are 103 plots demarcated on the 46.94-acre land near the Army Welfare Project office for the service centre.

Thrompon Tikaram Kafley said that the priority would be given to those who have workshops and other servicing units near the border check point.

“We want to give the priority to the old ones and for the new applicants, we’ll make them do a lucky dip,” he said.

The thromde’s urban planner Chhoephey Dorji said that the construction on the plots should start within six months from the day of allotment.

“Activities proposed in the area are manufacturing units, automobiles workshops, godown, scrap yard, carwash, and showroom, among other services,” he said.

The thromde officials said that the automobile workshops, scrap yards and other industries are currently scattered along the road and some are in the town.

“In the structural plan of Gelephu thromde 2005, the road towards border gate falls in the boulevard road construction and having the workshop and medium manufacturing industries along the road doesn’t look nice,” officials said. “That’s why they are moved.”

The commercial lease rate in the past years was decided as Nu 42 a sqft (square feet), which was found expensive, has been deducted to Nu 4 a sqft.

Thrompon said that the previous lease rate discouraged a lot of people from apply for a plot in the area. “Very less people were showing their interest,” he said.

“With the current lease rate the total of Nu 8.2 million will be earned annually and this many revenues was lost for last three years,” thrompon Tikaram Kafley said.

Yeshey Dema | Gelephu