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KP Sharma
The Parliamentary Committee on Social and Cultural Affairs has once again raised the issues caused by electric poles and transmission lines before the House and urged the government to review the policy to benefit the people who are actually affected.
The committee said farmers were forced to sacrifice their land and crops due to inadequate land compensation and alternatives.
Labalappa, the chairman of the Social and Cultural Committee, brought the issue to parliament after several Tsongkhapa MPs raised the issue.
The committee recommended relocation of high-voltage power towers from densely populated areas to safer locations and urged the government to provide funds for relocation, compensation and land replacement for private landowners who could not be relocated.
Rabah highlighted the safety hazard posed by fallen poles to farmers, livestock and community members, with a high risk of electrocution and accidents, especially in areas where children play or livestock graze.
“The fall of electric poles and wires in farmlands has disrupted agricultural activities, resulting in damage to crops and loss of income for farmers who depend on these lands for their livelihood,” he said.
Linguka-Todwang MP Namgay Wangchuk supported the committee’s recommendation, noting that new government projects and agencies require electricity, so the transmission lines must pass through private land.
He said fencing poles have reduced cultivable land and the current compensation package is unclear, with some getting land compensation, some getting compensation while others get nothing.
Namgay Wangchuk added that transmission lines in wetland areas pose additional safety risks to farmers and argued that the Bhutan Power Corporation (BPC) should take the initiative to relocate poles or compensate farmers.
“BPC is a for-profit company and it could have easily done the diversion or paid farmers for their services if they participated in the diversion,” he said.
He also highlighted lengthy bureaucratic procedures and a lack of accountability between different agencies.
“When landowners visit the BPC, they are sent to the Dzongkhag, who then sends them to the land committee, forming a cycle,” he explained.
Graphu MP Harka Singh Tamang said the problem was widespread in rural areas and blamed the government, contractors and people for not taking responsibility initially.
He criticised the government for failing to supervise contractors after awarding the project to them, which resulted in them not carrying out construction according to the design drawings or preliminary surveys.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Gem Tshering acknowledged the problems and concerns and called for a year under his administration to study and resolve the issue.
Speaker Lunden Dorje directed the ministry to apprise Parliament of the progress of the discussion on the issue during the winter session.
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