The new prices will come into effect from May 1. According to this one decimal of wetland in remote areas will cost Nu 1939, which was only Nu 350 to date. 

The government has categorized land into three classes: A, B, C. One decimal of class A land, located within 2 km of municipal boundary will cost Nu 4,687 and the rate decreases as the distance increases from township. 

The rates for agricultural land will be different for each of the 20 districts, considering the productivity, market value and distance from town area of the land.

The proposed average value for agricultural land in all dzongkhags, except Thimphu, is roughly Nu 5000-7000 for land within 2 km, Nu 3000-4000, within 6 km and Nu 2000-3000 beyond 6 km.

Similarly, 10 percent additional compensation will be given to land at half an hour walking distance from the highway or feeder road.

Land within 2 km in major town like Thimphu, Phuentsholing, Gelephu, Samtse and Damphu, rates are different. In Thimphu it will be Nu 31,415 per square foot, Nu 28,395 in Phuentsholing and Nu 11,599 in Gelephu. Centrally located land in Thimphu will be Nu 1,383.8 per square feet.

The road between Rewan and Autsho in Lhuentse has been partially washed away at 12 various places by heavy rain recently. In one of the places, a boulder has fallen right in the middle of the road.

In Kanglung geog under Trashigang dzongkhag, a hailstorm damaged potato fields on April 11. More than 10 acres of potato fields in Yonphula and upper parts of Yonphu Pam belonging to 48 households were severely damaged. 

In Nichula and Dorjiphu geogs under Dagana dzongkhag, hailstorm followed by torrents damaged maize crops planted in over 70 acres of land belonging to 14 households.

Besides maize, the torrent also damaged main cash crop, orange, in its flowering season.

It will offer shelter to youth who cannot afford safe lodging in the vicinity beside counseling services, leadership courses, and tutorials for student. It has a multipurpose hall, a conference hall and a restaurant.

Indian company Jaypee group sponsored the project with Nu 45 million. The group is also providing 20 scholarships every year since 2005 to Bhutanese students.

Inaugurating the hotel, Queen Mother and YDF president Ashi Tshering Pem Wangchuck awarded ‘Golden Youth of the Year’ to eight students. 

The awards were given to students, who demonstrated outstanding achievements in academics, sports, artistic, leadership, cultural and social services.

The award receipents are: 

Tshering Dhendup, Class VI, Samdrup Jonkhar MSS

Meghna Upreti, Class VI, Khuruthanng MSS

Phub Dorji, Class VIII, Yangchenphug HSS

Tsheyang Choden, Class VIII, Shari HSS

Tshewang Gyeltshen, Class X, Yangchenphug HSS

Nikey Subba, Class X, Khuruthang MSS

Dawa Gyeltshen, Class XII, Samtse HSS

Ugyen Lhamo, Class XII, Yangchenphug HSS

On the occasion the Queen Mother awarded coronation gold medal on behalf of the King to the chairman of the Jaypee group for their generous service to Bhutan.

The first width cutting of 50.56 km up to the suspension bridge at Phurbhay – a two-hour walking distance from Phuentsholing – has been completed.

Works on retaining walls and culverts are underway. Begun in February 2005, Samtse-Phuentsholing highway is expected to complete by 2012 wit total budget outlay of Nu 811 million.

About 12 km of track construction for the Halhaley-Dorokha has been completed since it began in February 2007. Halhaley is 25 km away from Samtse along the highway. The road section is expected to complete before this monsoon.

The landslide had swept away the Takti Bridge, de-linking Thimphu with Phuentsholing. Works for restoration of the highway is underway and officials involved in reconstruction have not given any timeline for completion of the work. 

The landslide had killed few people including an assistant driver of a truck, local officer of the DANTAK stationed at the bridge. The dead bodies have not been recovered.

According to government records, this highway experienced over 230 accidents in 2008 alone.

Ministers and senior government officials welcomed the rally in the capital. Princess Dechen Yangzom Wangchuk had bid farewell to the rally in Phuentsholing early morning yesterday.

The caravan of 28 cars, nine from Bhutan and 19 from India, carrying over 60 people received flowers and slogans in support of Indo-Bhutan friendship along the Phuentsholing-Thimphu highway.

The company, which was permitted only collecting talc left on the surface during the construction of the Samtse-Phuentsholing highway, was found engaged in illegally extracting minerals outside the permitted areas. The company is learnt to have begun excavation from areas where talc residues were found in abundance.

The department said minerals collected from outside the prescribed areas would be seized but has not furnish details how it would distinguish talc collected from the road surface from the excavation site. 

The company had already faced a corruption charges while trying to get contract for mining in the same district. It was only after ACC intervened that department took action against the company this time.