Pentavalent vaccine launched in September

The devastating 6.1 magnitude earthquake of September 21, just as people were gearing to celebrate thrue bab, wreaked havoc in eastern Bhutan killing a dozen people, damaging 6,241 homes and a number of schools and BHUs, lhakhangs and chortens and national monuments. Eastern Bhutan was shaken again on the eve of the Gregorian new year (December 31) with a 5.5 magnitude quake, complicating the recovery and reconstruction efforts.

As we welcome the Iron Male Tiger year, thousands of people in eastern Bhutan are still recovering from the shock and damage of the quakes.

Eastern Bhutan was first struck by a windstorm in April that blew off roofs and damaged houses, electricity infrastructure and crops. Mongar and Trashigang were battered by windstorms several times during the year.

This was followed by the May 26 flash floods, which hit the entire country. A result of the cyclone Aila, it left 12 people dead and damage to infrastructure cost the government Nu 719.111 million.

As if that was not enough, on October 8, 12 houses were razed to the ground in Trashigang dzongkhag’s largest fire accident in recent memory. The fire destroyed nine shops, including two eateries, affecting 26 families, some losing everything to the fire.

Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley appealed for donors and declared that the disaster damage would cost programmes in the 10th Plan, which was already short by Nu 16 billion.

Wamrong fire gutted 12 houses

When the Wangchu washed away seven students of Tsimasham lower secondary school in front of their parents and rescuers on July 26, it shook the nation. The incident became a national tragedy. It also turned out to be the most controversial, with a group of Thimphu residents, including journalists, taking part in a solidarity walk, the first ever in the capital, demanding answers. It is still not clear what exactly happened that fateful night.

Notwithstanding the agony Bhutanese suffered in the past year, it was a rare moment when all Bhutanese, starting from the Golden Throne to the simple Yangneer villager, came together to rise up from the disasters and tragedies. As His Majesty the King rushed to the affected places, comforting each and every farmer, Bhutanese individuals, groups, organisations, businesses, Bhutan’s friends, near and far, contributed both in cash and kind to the rebuilding effort.

The yoke of the Ox weighed heavy on the DPT government just as it was gearing to fulfill promises and people expectations. It was looking at a reconstruction and repair bill of Nu 2. 1 billion plus Nu 716 million from the May floods, even as the 10th Plan programmes were already short by Nu 4.8 billion.

As a Mewa Gumar year, the Ox year was a good period to have children, but the pentavalent vaccine incident, which allegedly killed nine newborns left many parents worried. The vaccine was introduced to protect infants against pneumonia, one of the leading causes of death in children under 15 years in Bhutan, and meningitis. World Health Organisation experts ruled out any connection, except in one case, between the vaccine and the deaths, but investigations are not yet over.

Even with all the tragedies, the year of the Ox saw some important milestones erected. His Majesty made his first state visit to India in December.

The two countries committed to start the construction of 10 hydropower projects in Bhutan by 2012, with a total capacity of more than 11,000 MW.

His Majesty also delivered an address at the Madhavrao Scindia Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on December 23. His Majesty spoke on ‘Changing World and Timeless Values’ to a hall filled with high-level officials, academicians and senior journalists.

Earlier in July, Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley was the first head of government to visit and congratulate the UPA led government, which was re-elected in May. Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, during his meeting with Lyonchhoen on July 1, offered an assistance of Nu 100 million to support the cyclone Aila victims. Dr Manmohan Singh also assured Lyonchhoen to support the ‘total solutions project’ (TSP), worth Nu 2.05 billion, which was recently finalised by the Bhutanese government.

The formation of the Supreme Court also took some decisive steps. The six-member Royal Commission nominated Lyonpo Sonam Tobgye, who retired on November 16, as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, making him the Bhutan’s first supreme court chief justice. The search for SC judges is still on.

His Majesty’s first state visit to India in December

The two sessions of parliament passed important bills, like the Local Government Bill, Royal Civil Service Commission Bill, the Tobacco Control Bill and the Police Bill. The year also saw many controversies, especially related to the constitutional development grant (CDG). Even as the grant is being debated, members of parliament,pritorised programmes to be carried out under CDG.

Bhutan’s private sector presented its case to the government in August, where they raised issues related to taxation and excise duties, allowing external commercial borrowings and use of domestic foreign exchange reserves, maintaining present industrial electricity tariff, standardising tourism rules and regulations and not allowing 100 percent foreign equity in four and five star hotel ventures in Bhutan.

The government’s economic development policy (EDP), which the prime minister calls a “consensual document that is dynamic and evolves as conditions change,” drew flak from the private sector. The EDP has been approved in principle, but is yet to be released by the government. As of October 2009, Bhutan was paying Nu 3.8 billion annually to service an outstanding debt of Nu 35 billion, which is five billion less than the cost of the 1020 MW Tala project. The debt was 53 percent of the GDP with hydropower debt at Nu 21.5 billion. A rupee crunch was also felt through the year, with the central bank borrowing Rs 5 billion from India to meet domestic rupee requirements.

The government, last year, also hired a global management consultancy firm, McKinsey and company, to find ways to accelerate Bhutan’s economic growth and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public services. McKinsey was hired at USD 9.1 mn (approx, Nu 432 mn).

The year also saw parliament members coming under heavy criticism for approving a second salary hike in one year. The National Assembly fixed the salary and benefits for constitutional post holders, high court judges, the royal civil service commission members and government secretaries.

Human wildlife conflict continued to torment farmers across the country. A Himalayan black bear is still at large after it killed cows and yaks in Bumthang.

Remains of a bear devoured by a Bengal tiger

Many government officials were also booked for corruption and misuse of authority. The anti corruption commission (ACC) suspended the chief administrative officer and the chief procurement officer and head of drug vaccine and equipment division of the ministry of health on September 14. They were later reinstated. The managing director (MD) of construction development corporation ltd. (CDCL) under the works and human settlement ministry was suspended following an anti-corruption commission (ACC) investigation but later re-instated. Nine education officials, including two lecturers of the royal university of Bhutan, were terminated without any benefits, following the BCSR 2006 rule.

Bhutan also saw heinous crimes in the Ox year. In July 10 Bodo militants, armed with AK-47 rifles, attacked a Bhutanese family in Darjaythang, Sarpang. Earlier, in June, a family in Norbugang, Sarpang, was robbed at gunpoint by armed men. They took away cash, citizenship identity and voter cards, cattle and silver coins and ornaments. Two girls of Dagapela were raped multiple times in October. In Samtse, an 18-year old mentally challenged girl was raped by her nieghbour when she was alone at her house.