A town that is not a town

Rangjung town in Tashigang is under Shongphu Gewog. That is exactly why it is not a town (thromde). If it were a town, it would not be under a gewog. Now where does that logic come from?

According to our Constitution, the territorial units of our country would consist of dzongkhags, gewogs and thromdes. Dungkhags are nowhere in the picture. But that is beside the point today. By the Local Government Act 2010, thromdes have been categorized into Thromde A, Thromde B and Yenlag Thromde. There are four Thromde As (Thimphu, Phuntsholing, Sarpang and Samdrup Jongkhar) and eighteen Thromde Bs in the country. Most towns where dzogkhag headquarters are located are Thromde Bs. However, there are no yenlag thromdes.

Rangjung could have been a yenlag thromde like quite a few other towns in the country. In the third session of Parliament, the government tabled a list of possible yenlag thromdes along with Thromde As and Thromde Bs. Rangjung was not in that list. I proposed that it be included and provided justifications. Most MPs and ministers supported the proposal. But Rangjung still could not become a yenlag thromde. Why?

A lot of MPs argued that every dzongkhag must at least have a yenlag thromde. They reasoned that the Constitution provided for a yenlag thromde in each dzongkhag. However, there were some dzongkhags which did not have a proposed yenlag thromde in the list that the government tabled in Parliament. The government and a few MPs argued that there was no point in having a yenlag thromde in each dzongkhag when a town that could be designated as yenlag thromde did not exist in the first place. The debate prolonged. When the proposed list was put forward to vote, it did not secure the minimum two-third required in a joint sitting. Thus, Rangjung along with all others in the proposed list failed to become a yenlag thromde.

Now there would be nothing wrong with that except towns like Rangjung are neither villages nor towns. How is that? First, Rangjung has been fashioned out to be a town. Through a World Bank project, town planning was done. Roads were built. Land pooling was implemented. Residents pay municipal taxes. This means that taxes for lands and houses in Rangjung are levied at municipal rate and not rural rate. Taxes are also paid to the Dzongkhag Municipal office. If it were NOT a town, residents and property owners would pay taxes at rural rate and they would be collected by the gewog administration.

This is the reason why Rangjung is a town in one sense and not a town in another sense. It is a town because it is fashioned out as one and residents there pay municipal taxes. It is not a town because the Parliament has not declared it as a yenlag thromde. Legally, Rangjung is under Shongphu Gewog and part of Changmi-Rangjung chiwog. A tshogpa represents it in the Shongphu Gewog Tshogde. However, residents have nominated (and not elected) their own tshogpa for the town.

During the eighth session of Parliament, I asked the Hon’ble Minister for Works and Human Settlement whether the government intends to table the list of yenlag thromdes for Parliament’s approval before the end of its tenure. I also asked about the contradiction in levying municipal taxes from residents who are legally not residing in a town. On the tax issue, the minister stated that ‘[I]f we make plans, implement them and provide services, we levy basic charges for the services. That is why small taxes are levied.’ On the other issue, he said, ‘If the people discuss among themselves and inform or write to the Ministry [of Works and Human Settlement], we will see whether the town fulfils the criteria laid down in the Act. If we find it worthwhile for consideration, we will submit to Parliament. Otherwise, we would tell the people that the proposal is not valid.’

Of over 100 hours of meeting during my fourth constituency visit, the last was held on 27^th April with people of Changmi-Rangjung and Yobinang chiwogs at Shongphu Gewog centre. I intended to convey the minister’s response to the people of Rangjung and encourage them to discuss and write to the ministry. I know that Rangjung would qualify as yenlag thromde in every sense. Although the people from other communities came for the meeting, not many people from Rangjung showed up. The gewog administration has been having lots of difficulty in getting Rangjung residents partake in gewog activities. They feel – I was told – that they are a town and not part of Shongphu Gewog, and therefore, have not much to do with the gewog. To a few, who showed up, I said that as of now Rangjung is not a yenlag thromde and therefore, a part of Shongphu Gewog. However, they could consider writing to the ministry. After completing due process, it is possible that a town is a town!