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Bhutan's
National Assembly |
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Bhutan Politics |
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Bhutan Politics |
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| New
dzongkhag, gewog boundaries |
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June
2006
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| With
an executive order from the Prime Minister's Office endorsed by the National
Assembly on June 19, gewog and dzongkhag boundaries have been changed across
the country. |
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According
to the minister for home and cultural affairs, Lyonpo Jigmi Yoezer Thinley,
the exercise was undertaken for the 2008 electoral process as well as for
the convenience of the people.
He
said that it was time to rationalise the boundaries since most of the present
demarcation did not have any economic and sociological benefits.
He
said that the improper demarcations administratively did not stand to reason.
For instance, a village in the middle of Limukha under Punakha dzongkhag
belonged to the Babesa gewog, Thimphu dzongkhag.
Chimis
submitted varying views on the executive order. The chimis from Zhemgang
and Punakha said that the decisions would be acceptable to the people.
Punakha chimi Namgay Phuntsho said that the government would have made
such a decision only after extensive deliberations and disputes could be
discussed at the Dzongkhag Yargay Tshogdu (DYT) and the Gewog Yargey Tshogchung
(GYT) levels.
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The
Bumthang chimi submitted that the decision for the new demarcations should
have been routed through the DYT and GYT in keeping with the decentralisation
policy. "There are cultural and social problems that we need to look into
at the grass root level," he said.
Lyonpo
Jigmi Thinley said that some families would be affected but it had to be
done in the larger interest of the people. "There is also demographic considerations,"
the home minister said. "For example, bigger gewogs like Orong, in Samdrup
Jongkhar, which has about 7000 people will be divided into two geogs which
means that they will receive twice as many facilities. We have consulted
the people, at all levels, for the last 21 years and if we give it back
to the people for discussion it will never be decided because a lot of
sentimental issues will come in."
He
also said that all decisions with regard to the demarcation should be finalised
by the end of 2006 since the electoral constituencies had to be based on
the new boundaries.
"If
present inconveniences are not solved today, then there would be a lot
of problems in 2008 with the electoral process," he said.
According
to the executive order the transfer of sa-thram and census resulting from
the new demarcations should be done by October, 2006, and a report on the
exercise should be submitted to the Lhengye Zhungtsho by the end of October,
2006.
The
executive order also states that the exercise was carried out by the home,
agriculture, and the work and human settlement ministries as per the resolutions
of the 84th National Assembly session. The finalised demarcations were
then submitted and discussed by the Lhengye Zhungtsho.
There
are changes in the demarcations for all dzongkhags apart from Bumthang,
Lhuentse, Trashiyangtse, Gasa, Dagana and Tsirang.
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The
new boundaries |
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village, with 61 households under the
geog in Paro, will be
merged with Paro's Sharpa geog.
The
villages of Rangzhigang, Chortengang, Wanakha, Bachim and Tseji,
that are located on the left bank of the Hachu and belonged to Chukha dzongkhag,
will now fall under the
geog of Paro. The five villages have a total
of 110 households and 1,300 people.
Dongkarla,
Bemrilhakang and the Jela dzong mountains will be the boundary between
the Paro and Thimphu dzongkhags.
Ninety-nine
houses with 769 people located on the right banks of the Jemi stream
and Wangchu will be merged with Mewang geog in Thimphu. Of the 99 families,
37 are under Hungrel geog, 51 under Dokar, and 11 under Dhopshari geogs
which are all under the Paro dzongkhag.
The
present Basesa geog of Thimphu, on the right bank of the Punatsangchu
river, will be created as a new geog under Punakha dzongkhag.
The
four households in Limukha village which was under the Babesa geog,
Thimphu, will be merged with the Limukha geog in Punakha.
The
three villages of Wangjo, Martorlungchung, and Bajothangu, with
44 households and 331 people, located on the left banks of the Punatsangchu
river, which belonged to the Babesa geog, will be merged with Thaytsho
geog, Wangduephodrang dzongkhag.
Twenty-two
villages falling between Dochula and East of Sichula in Toebi geog,
Thimphu, will be created as a new and separate geog in Punakha dzongkhag.
The new geog will have 304 households with 2,526 people.
From Dochula
towards Thimphu, the three villages of Tashigang Goenba, Hongtsho and
Yusipang, with 45 households, will be in Thimphu dzongkhag under Chang
geog.
Bajodurshingphu
has been identified as the boundary demarcation between Trongsa and
Sarpang dzongkhags. The villages of Raytee and Dodari under Korphu
geog in Trongsa will be merged with Sarpang dzongkhag's Jigmecholing geog.
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The Manas
National Park under Taklai geog will be merged with Zhemgang dzongkhag.
The Sangkhu
village in Lhamoizhingkha geog, Sarpang with 57 households and 318
residents will be merged under Darla geog, Chukha.
Ten
villages with 416 households and a population of 3,875 under Decheling
geog in Nanglam dungkhag, Samdrup Jonkhar and 13 villages with 582
households and 5,365 people under the same dzongkhag will be created as
two new geogs under Pemagatshel dzongkhag.
The
Nanong geog in Wamrong dungkhag, Trashigang, will be merged with the Pemagatshel
dzongkhag.
Four
villages with 49 households and 551 people located at the right bank of
the Amochu river under Dungtey geog, Samtse and four villages under
the Lhareni geog with 25 households and 134 people will be merged with
the Haa dzongkhag, under Sangbay geog.
On
the left bank of the Amochu river, some of the villages under Samtse dzongkhag's Mayona,
Samar and Sangbay geogs and villages falling from the top of Tegor
La and Salay La and upward of the Sumchugang will be created as a new geog
under Haa.
A
new geog will be created from Mayona geog's five villages of Phentayna,
Segtayna, Saijong, Thangdokha, Ngachey which together have 85 households
and a population of 1068. An additional eight households with 85 people
from Yangtsay village under Sangbay geog and 25 households with 350 people
from Samar geog's Dorithagsa's village will be included in the new geog.
The rest of the households of Mayona geog's five villages will be merged
with Samtse's Denchukha geog.
The Dremitse
geog in Mongar will be divided into two geogs namely Dremitse and Narang
geogs. Under the Dremitse geog there will be 10 villages, 350 households
and 3,070 people and Narang geog will have five villages, 205 households
and 1,664 people.
The Orong
geog in Samdrup Jonkhar, which has 833 household and 7,513 people,
will be divided into two geogs. With the division, the new Orong geog will
have 466 households while the new Dewathang geog will have 367 households.
The Gomdar
geog in Samdrup Jonkhar will also be divided into Gomdar and Wangphug
geogs. Of the prevailing 31 villages with 888 households and 7,405 people,
the new Gomdar geog will have 19 villages with 548 households and Wangphug
geog will have 12 villages and 340 households.
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| This
article was contributed by Kinley Y Dorji, Kuensel, Bhutan's National Newspaper,
2006 |
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