SARBHANG

Distribution of elephant habitat in Southern Bhutan (NCD)

17 Novermber, 2009 - Disruption of traditional migratory routes due to rapid industrialisation and infrastructure development is one of the main reasons for the rising number of human-elephant conflicts, say nature conservation division (NCD) officials.

According to records with NCD, wild elephants destroyed about 132 acres of land in 2007 alone.

The worst recorded was in 2005, when about 265 acres of cropland in seven gewogs of Sarpang was destroyed. Crops damaged by elephants include maize, paddy, millet, banana, and nut trees.

About 1,500 sq km of areaa along the southern borders, from Dhansirichu in the east to Sipsu, Samtse, in the west, along the Indo-Bhutan border, is home to Bhutan’s elephants. They migrate from thick forests in Bhutan to grasslands in India during winter (November to April) and return to Bhutan in the summer, between May and October.

Although no comprehensive study was done to understand the rising numbers of human-elephant conflict, NCD officials said that it could be because of encroachment on the habitats from developmental activities, fragmentation of habitat, resettlement, competition with livestock grazing and strict forest rules, which prohibit hunting, killings and trappings.

“The damage is usually to crops and homes,” said the chief forestry officer of NCD, Dr Sonam Wangyel Wang. “It was also found that humans are encroaching into the elephants’ habitat and, as a result, elephants are forced to feed on crops. They usually attack homes, especially kitchens in search of food and salt.”

Southern Bhutan, said the chief forestry officer, has seen lots of development like factories and resettlement programs over the years. “And these are certainly sometimes falling directly on the elephants’ way of migration. So that’s why the conflicts are happening,” he said, adding that the resettlement areas, especially in Gelephu, are the elephant’s habitat.

Although human-elephant conflict is an issue, discussed at the highest decision making body, very little is known about the elephant’s distribution, abundance, or dispersal patterns. In 1997, the population of elephants in the country was estimated between 700-800. This figure however has not been confirmed nor updated.

To understand the movement patterns of elephants, their numbers, interactions with human beings and to study their behaviour, the NCD and WWF conducted a three-day workshop from November 12 in Phuentsholing. The conservation of Asiatic elephant in Bhutan project is supported by WWF.

“The aim was to educate field staff in terms of how best we can census elephants, so that we understand the complex interaction between humans and elephants, minimise and conserve endangered elephants,” said Dr Sonam Wangyel Wang. “We’re taking it very seriously - from conservation to mitigating conflicts so that our farmers are not always at the mercy of wildlife.”

Although one of the biggest constraints in implementing strategies is lack of funding from the government, NCD is working towards a national policy on elephant conservation and management, besides gathering information on population, habitat, threats and management.

NCD’s mitigation measures to reduce conflict, include solar and electric fencings and equipping staff with guns for blank firing, but more needs to be done, said officials. Besides being expensive, electric fencing has also proved to be ineffective due to poor maintenance and theft.

“We also want to understand the cropping patterns, the guarding methods our farmers use, and look at why the conflict is happening,” said Dr Sonam Wangyel Wang. “We have to know what’s missing in the natural balance that elephants are causing so much damage to humans, so that we can develop some kind mechanism to really reduce the conflicts.”

By Sonam Pelden in Kuensel

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Nepotism and bribes may provide a fast track to pave the way

10 November, 2009 - Getting a driving license is quite a process and authorities are strict with procedures. First comes the learner’s license, which takes at least six months practice. Then there are the mandatory written and practical tests.

But there is also an easy way out, Kuensel has found. Kuensel interviewed two people, who got their licenses through other means.

Samten (name changed), 54, bought his driving license for Nu 6,000. Samten’s friend, who knew a road safety and transport authority (RSTA) official, paid for his license. “I got it within four months,” he told Kuensel. “Sitting for the test involves a lot of procedures and, if you fail the test, you have to wait until you can sit for the re-test again.”

Pema (name changed), a civil servant, got her license just a month after buying a new car. The 2007 graduate said that she couldn’t get through the test and got in touch with a friend, who knew an RSTA official. Pema claims that she didn’t pay money, but admitted that she got her license through “contacts.”

She told Kuensel having a license boosts her confidence, even though she did not get it the right way. “I feel more confident holding a license now, but I don’t drive in town,” she said.

Kuensel sources said that such practices that have been going on for years are not only carried out in the capital but across the country and across the border.

This is a danger to both drivers and pedestrians, say Thimphu motorists. “I’m not safe just because I drive well or I’ve been driving for the past 15 years,” said Wangchuk, who lives in Thimphu. “Accidents can even when you’re not at fault.”

The RSTA officiating director, Thinley Namgay, said that although RSTA received verbal complaints, no one has come forward with proof. “Unless someone comes with proof, we can’t act,” he said.

Thinley Namgay said that, if such cases exist, both the license holder and the official would be penalised. “The license would be cancelled and disciplinary action taken against the official,” he said.

“How a license was issued can’t be detected through the system. Otherwise we’d have taken appropriate action by now,” said Thimphu’s road transport officer (RTO), Dophu Tshering.

A driving license is mandatory, according to the RSTA Act, to ensure that people, who drive motor vehicles on highways, are competent and aware of safe driving practices and traffic rules.

As per the RSTA regulations, a driver has to get a learner’s license first and wait for six months before he/she can sit for the written test, box test and highway test. There is a committee, who looks into these procedures. If one fails the test, then he/she will have to sit for a re-test after a month or two.

The written test was introduced recently. Earlier, drivers had to sit for a signal test, box test and the highway test, according to officials. Until early last year, driving licenses was printed at the Norbu Rabten press in Thimphu. Now licenses are issued in three regional RSTA offices in Phuentsholing, Gelephu and Samdrupjongkhar, apart from Thimphu.

Licenses made from other countries are endorsed by RSTA without the person having to sit for any test.

Kuensel found that a person can easily obtain licenses from most Indian states after paying a minimal fee to a middleman.

There had been a few cases where the fake licenses were made in Jaigoan, India. “We don’t accept the ones from Jaigoan, but we accept licenses made in other states,” said Thinley Namgay.

During the financial year, 5,562 persons obtained learner’s license from Thimphu, Phuentsholing, Gelephu and Samdrupjongkhar, according to RSTA’s annual report. Around 6,248 ordinary driving licenses and 892 professional driving licenses were issued in the same year.

Records show that vehicle accident cases increased from 196 cases in 1997 to 995 cases in 2008, which averages to two accidents a day. Human error tops the list as the main cause with 754 accidents reported last year.

By Kinga Dema in Kuensel

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The constituency development grant has been mired in controversies. The next controversy surrounding it is whether the projects initiated under it are in line with the CDG guidelines.

Seven MPs are already using the grant for scholarships, construction, renovation, maintenance and purchase of various machineries. Free ferry transportation across Mao Khola, for instance, should not to be covered by CDG, say some legislators, because the operation of free boat service falls under recurrent expenses which, according to the CDG guidelines, fall under activities that cannot be financed by CDG.

“How long can such free services be provided?” wrote Lobsang Dorji, a Bhutanese working in America on the Opposition Leader Tshering Tobgay’s blog. The provision of scholarship, too, may fall under recurrent expenditure, said some people Observer spoke to. Scholarships for students are one of Speaker Jigme Tshultrium’s CDG-funded activities.

Now with the Election Commission of Bhutan declaring CDG unconstitutional, some people wonder whether certain activities initiated in alleviationthe constituencies through CDG could be revoked. And what would happen to the projects underway if CDG is revoked as suggested by the election commission? What would ECB do if the government refuses to revoke it?

To this, the Chief Election Commissioner, Dasho Kunzang Wangdi, said the commission had full faith in the cabinet ministers. “Therefore, we are confident that they would see logic and resolve this minor aberration lawfully in favour of the larger public interest,” he said.

Out of the seven constituencies that are making use of the grant, two are in Trashigang, two in Sarpang, and one each in Tsirang, Mongar and Punakha dzongkhags.

Betini Gewog under Kilkhorthang-Mendregang constituency in Tsirang has availed the grant. The MP of the constituency, Deputy Speaker Yangku Tshering Sherpa, said the tender for farm road construction will be floated in November.

CDG-funded projects are in full swing in Wamrong constituency.

So far, Nu 2 million of the Nu 4 million grant has been used. According to the MP of Wamrong constituency, Lhatu, he received numerous proposals but passed only those that were relevant.

By Metho Dema and Jigme Wangchuk

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How CDG is being used With MPs already on with projects CDG is a done deal

3 November, 2009 - Grinding machines, poultry farms, farmers’ cooperatives and walnut orchards are some of the Constituency Development Grant (CDG) activities National Assembly members have started implementing notwithstanding the objections on the grant.

The recent objection came from the Chief Election Commissioner, Dasho Kunzang Wangdi, who wrote a letter to the prime minister to revoke the CDG, reasoning that it would compromise ‘free and fair election” among others.

Member of Parliament (MP) in Chukha, Ugay Tshering, has already pumped in Nu 0.5 million for a ‘cooperative milk society’ in Tala where dairy farmers will be supplying milk to agencies like Bhutan Dairy, Agro and Zimdra through the society. “The Nu 0.5m will be used as a rotating capital to first buy milk from these farmers and then sell to these agencies. The overall profit is shared by the society members,” said MP UgayTshering. “The individual farmers will not only receive timely payments but also benefit from the profit the society makes.”

Samdrup Jongkhar MP Ugyen Dorji said that several proposals such as purchase of grinding mills and farm machineries for communities were coming in from the gewogs. He said that before he approves any project, he had to ensure that it did not go against the CDG rules and regulations.

“There are stringent rules on where and how the Nu 2 million a year grant for five years could be spent,” he said. “We don’t see the money at all. As we approve a project, the money will be directly released by the dzongkhag to the gewog offices. The gewog officials will keep the accounts.”

According to CDG rules, an MP cannot use the fund for recurrent expenditures like paying monthly salary, telephone and transportation fees or make contributions and donations. MPs are also barred from using the grant to construct and renovate gewog offices buildings, and government staff quarters. The grant should benefit at least 10 households and fund more than 10 activities in five years.

Meanwhile, accounts officers Kuensel spoke to said that there has to be clearer rules on how the CDG could be spent since there has been so many controversies surrounding it. One of the officials said that Gelephu MP, Prem Kumar Gurung, has already made two payments from his CDG account to pay the boatman who operates the boat service in Gelephu, which could be construed as a recurrent expenditure. Recurrent expenditures are not allowed, according to CDG rules. Prem Kumar has reportedly kept aside Nu 320,000 for the 2009-2010 financial year from his CDG account to pay the boatman.

“It is not a capital expenditure. The money is being used for transportation service to keep the commuters happy in absence of the bridge,” said a source. “The monitoring process of CDG needs to be strengthened.” MP Prem Kumar could not be reached for comments.

Samtse’s Durga Prasad Chhetri is focusing on poverty alleviation but with countless number of proposals, the MP said that he would have to take some hard decisions. “My constituency has asked for construction of a farm road, community poultry and piggery, a cooperative diary society and cultivation of vegetables in the poor areas,” he said.

Nothing is going to stop CDG from being implemented and therefore, the focus should now be on how effectively each MP was using the amount, according to Ugay Tshering. “MPs have been given the money already. Some might misuse it while some might not,” he said.

By Phuntsho Chodenin Kuensel

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Bhutan-India development talks 1 November, 2009 - To avoid delays in the implementation of hydropower projects, the government of India (GoI) has committed to speed up road construction, which connect various hydropower project sites.

Top on the list is to improve the Gelephu –Santabari (Assam) road, which is a vital link for mega hydro projects like Punatshangchu I and II, Chamkarchhu I and Mangdechu projects.

This was one of the main issues the two governments agreed during the second annual consultation of the Bhutan – India Development Talks, which was held in Thimphu from October 28 - 30.

The annual talks review progress of various projects under the GoI assistance, discuss and resolve implementation of projects issues.

For Bhutan’s 10 Plan, the GoI has committed Nu 34 billion. Of the total, Nu 20 billion is under the Project Tied Assistance (PTA), Nu 7 billion under the programme grant and Nu 7 billion for small development projects.

According to the GNH secretary, Karma Tshiteem, 9 percent of the Nu 34 billion has been released so far. “It has taken some time but now development activities will really pick up,” said the secretary.

The project-tied assistance covers infrastructure development activities such as construction of roads, school building, energy, livestock and marketing, health and education, urban development and transport and construction of judiciary and constitutional offices.

The two governments agreed that the expenses incurred for compiling the detailed project report for projects under the Hydro-Electric Project would now be under the PTA. It was also agreed that timely release of funds was important to implement projects on time.

Both the governments also agreed to hold the first Small Development Projects Committee meeting by the first week of November. The committee will consider and approve the projects, relating to rural development proposed by local governments.

The agreement was signed yesterday between the foreign secretary Daw Penjo and the Joint Secretary, (North) of the ministry of external affairs, India, Satish C Metha.

By Sonam Pelden in Kuensel

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Though the issues were discussed, as they are the most pressing demands of the business community, the minister did not give a deadline

M B Subba GELEPHU

The business community in Gelephu raised various is­sues and problems affecting them with the Minister for Information and Commu­nications Lyonpo Nandalal Rai during his visit here on Sunday.

It was the third public meeting held by Lyonpo Nandalal Rai, the most frequent visitor to Sarpang, his home dzongkhag, in the capacity of a cabinet minister this year.

Gelephu’s quest for having an airport and a permanent bridge over Maokhola, the two dominant topics during the meeting, however, re­mained unanswered. He did not give any comprehensive or clear-cut answers to the people’s queries on when the two projects would actually take off.

But he assured that the projects are coming.

Land demarcation and the cadastral survey of 840 acres of land for the airport have been completed. The government will decide on the mode of acquisition and compensation of the land af­ter the ministry receives the detailed report on cadastral survey from the National Land Commission, the min­ister said, adding that the work might begin in five to six months from now. In fact, people here were thinking that the work would start earlier, after the minister’s significant visit to the airport site last January.

The minister, who took on a philosophical tone during the entire four-hour meeting, seemed keen to listen to the issues affecting the busi­ness community. It was to strengthen the relation of the government with the people of Gelephu that he had come, because the former will be handicapped without coop­eration from the people, he said.

“Your concerns will not go in vain, though all the issues do not fall under my jurisdiction I will reach your problems to the right place,” he assured. “I urge you (the business community) not to think only about one’s self interest, rather, you should think collectively, as ‘we’.”

Gelephu is like the heart of the region bearing lots of opportunities and scopes for development, the minister said.

A few queries by some participants also at times irked the minister a little. A businessman said it was better to invest the estimated Nu 2,000 crore budget for the airport in some other urgent projects like building and repairing bridges in remote parts of the dungkhag.

“After all, how many of us will benefit from the airport and how many of us are going to fly?” he asked the minister.

To this the minister said, “In a democracy, it is the peo­ple who tell the government about what developments have to be undertaken and if you (people) do not want the airport, I am ready to can­cel it and divert the fund to other projects,” the minister replied.

The minister, on the request of business com­munity that they be allowed to employ Indian labourers without any hindrance, sug­gested that the latter have to look for self-sustainability and long-term impact of em­ploying Indian labourers.

Other issues like difficul­ties faced by the land owners in acquiring permits to start construction in the munici­pal areas were also discussed at the meeting which was attended by officials from the ministry and various sector heads in the dungkhag.

From Bhutan Today

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M B Subba GELEPHU.

Two Indian lovers died in a major fire in the attic of a building yesterday midnight in the heart of Gelephu town.

Monika Ali, 40, from Bagaigoan, Assam and Nanka, 22, from Bighar were complete charred and they were hardly recognisable. “They were just skeletons when police brought out their bodies out of the fire,” said an eyewitness. The dead bodies were taken to Gelephu hospital and later handed over to their relatives.

Monika Ali and her two sons had been working in dif­ferent hotels in Gelephu as helpers for about five years, according to family sources. The lady, a divorcee, had a relationship with Nanka for quite sometime, according to his associates. However, it is not known whether they had any differences at any time.

Nanka, a tailor, was unmar­ried and actually resided in Dadghari, a neighboring In­dian town. He worked as day workers in Gelephu, but used to visit Monica frequently. And yesterday he had gone to sleep with his girlfriend in the attic, sources said.

“Despite my repeated warning to Nanka not to come, he used to frequently spend nights here,” said the building owner Sonam Lhamo. Four people, includ­ing Monika Ali, had been occupying the attic.

Some associates of the man and woman believe that the Muslim lovers might have burnt themselves by sprinkling kerosene in their room.

But did they really kill themselves, as many resi­dents believe? Or did the fire occur due to an electri­cal short circuit? Police are investigating the case.

Residents and police carried water from nearby households and hotels to put out the blaze in the dead of the night. Eyewitnesses believe that the fire started from the inner rooms of the attic and by the time residents noticed it, it was an inferno.

Police did their best to douse the fire, but they were very poorly equipped. The latest fire, which broke out at midnight, took almost two hours to put out, as there was no fire brigade. “The fire could have been put out sooner had there been water with the police,” said Sonam Lhamo.

Two other occupants of the attic lost all their belongings. The place has been complete­ly gutted.

Apart from the tragic end to their love story, a critical issue has arisen out of the mishap. Is our system pre­pared to face such an acci­dent, residents ask?

This was the third inci­dent of fire in the town in less than a year’s time. All of them occurred in attics, that too in the heart of the town.

Earlier, in a similar inci­dent police hired a tanker to fetch water to put out the fire but the tanker repeatedly ran out of water and had to rush back to the river – which is quite far ‑to refill.

Are the house owners enti­tled to insurance for the loss of the attic? Sonam Lhamo is not sure. “I don’t know whether I will get insurance coverage for the loss I have suffered,” she said.

Indian workers are sup­posed to reside outside Gelephu after the immigra­tion office in Gelephu started a clampdown on them earlier this year. But the evidence is clear now: many are still residing in Gelephu.

From Bhutan Today

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