Tumin-Barang green flags Ramayan Village project

DIKCHU, 21 March: The Ramayan Village project, proposed to be developed over a 35 area plot touching the two GPUs of Tumin and Raley-Khesey here under Tumin-Lingee constituency was green-flagged by the residents at an open discussion convened at Tumin Barang today between the landowners and representatives of the State Government. The meeting was chaired by area MLA, the Govt Chief Whip, Ugen T Gyatso Bhutia. The Ramayan Village project, it may be recalled, was offered by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling during his stopover here as part of his village to village tour last year.
The open discussion saw landowners who have given land for this project raise varies queries seeking details about how the government proposes to develop the Ramayan Village concept. They also welcomed the project as one which flowed from a demand tabled by them and one which would promote both, tourism and pilgrimage to their area. They also submitted a petition seeking satisfactory compensation rate for the lands proposed to be acquired and sought that local residents be given preference in petty contracts and other related businesses in the project development phase.
The Ramayan Village is proposed to be developed across parts of Barang and Sheley wards of Tumin GPU and Raley ward of Raley-Khesey GPU under Tumin-Lingee constituency. The 35 acres identified for the project will affect 27 landowners.
While answering the queries raised by the people, the area MLA assured to take responsibility to have all their demands addresses and announced that the few families which will be displaced will be covered under the Chief Minister’s Rural Housing Mission. He further added that local residents will be given preference in all opportunities related with the project. The MLA also registered his displeasure over the three panchayat members who did not attend today’s meeting, pointing out that the open discussion was a crucial aspect of the project’s development and should not have been taken casually by the three absentee panchayats.
Hemu Rai, an artist, who will design the project, informed the meeting that the whole area will be developed as a “representation of paradise”. Included in the complex will be Dasrath’s palace, Janakpur Mahal, Panchakoti, Chitrakut, Lanka, Ashok Vatika, golden deer etc. The complex will also include a deer park, he infomed.
Meanwhile, Ringzing Tshering Lepcha, Additional Secretary, Cultural Affairs & Heritage Deptt., highlighted that the government was approaching the Ramayan Village project as one of its more prestigious projects and informed that a total of Rs. 4.45 crore has been set aside for land compensation. An amount of Rs. 2 crore will be transferred to the account of the Land Revenue Deptt. within this week as the first instalment, he added.
The area MLA expressed gratitude towards all the landowners for having provided the land and underlined that the project will make the entire area proud.
The function was also addressed by ex-Secretary, NK Sharma. Also present were M Shahid, Addl Chief Engineer, Building & Housing Deptt, Sonam Dadul Bhutia, Addl Chief Architech, Buildings & Housing Deptt., Special Secretary to CM, DR Nepal, BDO Tintek, Tenzing Dorjee Denzongpa, senior pandit Swami Achuta Nanda Sharma, landowners, senior citizens, panchayat members and the general public. Later, the chief guest and officials also visited the area where the project is to come up.