Few people, who were asked to dismantle their houses constructed illegally along the Trashigang-Yonphula highway, might miss the deadline.

With just two days left to complete the two months deadline Trashigang dzongkhag administration gave to the house owners, people who have constructed their houses on the state land could not dismantle their houses.

The house owners who failed to meet the road right of way have, however, shifted their houses.

A businesswoman, Dorji Lhamo, who constructed a temporary shed below Kanglung Primary School to run a small shop, said she has had sleepless nights ever since she received the notice from the dzongkhag administration to dismantle her structure.

During the joint inspection conducted on May 5, the structure failed to meet the road right of way requirements and was also constructed on state land.

“Thinking that the shop would fetch good income I had taken a huge loan,” she said. “The thought of not being able to repay the loan haunts me every time I think of dismantling the house.”

Dorji Lhamo’s husband is a lay monk.

She said that the money he makes from conducting rituals is not enough to raise the family. “All my efforts to find a place and shift the business have failed.”

Another owner, Sanga Yuden, who runs a restaurant above Sherubtse College, is in the process to construct a new house. “But this location was ideal. The business was also good. Now that we are asked to move I’m not sure how I would be able to support my family.”

She started the restaurant as a vegetable shed that was constructed by the gewog office. “With permission from the gup, I started to sell other products and then decided to operate a restaurant for the college students.”

A concrete building at Khangma that is almost 70 percent completed has to be dismantled too.

The owner of the house, Tshedon Lhamo, said she was not aware that the land she was buying fell under the state land.

“The seller told us that it was his land and that there would be no issue in the future,” she said. “We have already invested more than Nu 8 million (M) in the construction and dismantling it would be a huge loss.”

Construction works on the five-storied building began two years ago.

Meanwhile, Tshering Choden and Leki Wangmo have shifted their structures in Rongthong to meet the 50ft road right of way requirement.

“There was no use waiting because the notice was clear and we had to make the changes,” said Tshering Choden.

A total of 22 house owners were notified to either dismantle or shift the structures on May 5.

The notice stated that failure to comply would force the dzongkhag administration to forward the case to court for further action.

Of the 22 structures that were illegally constructed, 10 were built on state land and also did not meet the 50ft space requirement. The others did not meet the road right of way requirement.

Younten Tshedup | Kanglung