Gelephu International Airport3 February, 2010 - Gelephu landowners, whose plots fall under the proposed site for an (international) airport in the border town, will receive fair compensation commensurate to the plot size, say land commission officials.

Land commission officials said that, since the land identified for developing the international airport is less than a kilometre from Gelephu municipality boundary, thus falling under category ‘A’, the compensation would be calculated under rural land rate, which is about Nu 5,318.84 a decimal.

The land substitute, Dasho Sangay Khandu said, would be extended to people without any land or if solely dependent on the plot the government intends to acquire for developing the airport.

“We’ll give them substitute land from the same village, gewog or dzongkhag, depending on its availability,” Dasho Sangay Khandu said, adding that limitations in terms of providing cultivable land would be difficult.

“As far as possible, we’ll try and give a land replacement,” Sangay Khandu said. “If not people will have to settle for monetary compensation.”

Land records officials said about 141 people will lose all of their land and 73 partially.

The land commission’s chief land registrar, Sangay Wangdi, said the government has the authority to acquire land anywhere if it is in the interest of the nation.

He said the new Land Act clearly spelled out that the government could acquire a registered land for public interest, but it would also provide substitute land or cash payment or both as compensation.

“Acquisition of land will entail a fair compensation and we (land commission) are here to make sure of that,” said Sangay Wangdi. “We’ll protect their registration, until government fairly compensates them.”

On monetary compensation, Sangay Wangdi said the government would have to go with the rates determined by the property assessment and valuation agency (PAVA) under the finance ministry, which will fix a rate after ascertaining the market forces.

The agency, he said, would consider the total registered area, land category, its current use, location in relation to accessibility to roads and other elements such as scenic beauty.

“These are all new aspects of the new land Act and the government is at fault because it failed to create awareness about the new Act,” said Sangay Wangdi.

The land secretary said they were at a preliminary stage of conducting a cadastral survey of the area and, following its completion, the government would be able to learn of the number of land owners and the total private land it requires.

Land commission officials said the land identified for developing international airport at Gelephu had remained fallow and covered in dense bushes and trees, which made it difficult for speedy progress in conducting the survey.

The master plan for Gelephu airport should be developed by June 2010 and, by September this year, the department of civil aviation (DCA) should have acquired the land and paid compensation to land owners.

The airport will start operations from June 2011, as stated in McKinsey’s milestone plan for civil aviation, which the government endorsed.