Besides cleaning the areas, the group is also authorised to penalise those who violate waste disposal rules 

Service: Changangkha and Motithang residents will see new young faces cleaning their neighborhoods starting this month.

Thimphu thromde has contracted cleaning of the two areas to the Youth Social Service Centre (YSSC) for a year. An agreement was signed on June 2.

This was one of the resolutions of the Thimphu thromde tshogde, held in April.

Of a total of 22 YSSC members, the Thimphu thromde hired 16 youths that include graduates, and highschool pass-outs, for roads and drains in the two areas. There are three women in the group.

The thromde will pay the group Nu 130,000 a month.

Thimphu Thrompon Kinlay Dorjee, during a briefing with the group on June 2, explained to its members that it is important that they don’t think that they are over qualified for the job and also not to be ashamed of their profession. He said that they should be proud of what they are doing.

“You people set an example to the youth,” he said.

The thromde will extend its support to the group if they take their responsibilities seriously. “You have to work hard from the first day,” the thrompon said.

Thrompon Kinlay Dorjee said that the thromde did not float a tender for the work because it wants to give the youth group an opportunity to prove that Bhutanese youth can take up blue-collar jobs.

Another reason is to create jobs for the unemployed and to keep them away from substance abuse and other criminal activities, he added.

The thrompon also said that there is a possibility of other areas coming under the group’s responsibility. “More work means more money,” he said.

The thrompon added that the thromde has development activities planned like creating parks in Jungshina and construction of public toilets in the parks, among others.

Depending on their performance, the parks could come under the group’s care.  “The group can run a cafeteria and maintain the parks,” the thrompon said.

Along with the cleaning services, the thromde also authorised the youth group to penalise those who dispose their waste illegally, those storing construction materials on public roads, and washing vehicles along the roads, among others.

YSSC CEO, Jamyang Sangay, said that besides the cleaning work, the group deals in loading and unloading of goods, shifting of homes and offices, and home care.

He added that the city workers clean the road and drains and pile the garbage on the roadside for days. When it rains, the garbage is washed back into the drains and onto the road. He said this will not happen with YSSC in-charge.

For the first week there will be a mass cleaning in the area, after which 16 members will be divided into four groups to clean their designated areas.

Dechen Tshomo