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 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.

On January 23 at midnight at the residence of the officer Dawa near the Ghumaoney Basic Health Unit (BHU), the army officer Kuenga came along with some people and beaten up the health worker. The health officer was dragged outside the house. Family members say Dawa’s vision of left eye has been affected.

Dawa was punched on the neck and other parts of the body mercilessly forcing him to call himself as Basic Health Worker (BHW). Dawa’s family reported the case immediately to police but police officers ignored. 

In a compromise reached following day, Dawa was compensated Nu 3,000. However, family members rejected the compromise and took the case to the court.

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.