By Tenzin Choephel
Phayul Correspondent
Kathmandu, August 25: Mr. Gonpo Tashi was earlier on August 1 appointed the new settlement officer for the Swoyambu and City area of Kathmandu. Mr Tashi was appointed to replace Mr. Norbu La, who was then transferred to Jawalakhel Tibetan Settlement and Handicraft Center.
Mr. Tashi has been serving Tibetan Government-in-Exile for over 30 years now and has held various posts during the service.
The Swoyambu and City Welfare Office looks after the welfare of over 3000 Tibetans living scattered in the area with no particular Tibetan settlement for them. People of the area have been requesting their exile Government, based in India, for housing development for quite sometime, but it seems they received no response so far.
In the process of adopting a better administrative system and to collect necessary information of all the households living in the area, the new Settlement Officer Mr. Gonpo today conducted a local level election at Bijeshwori to elect local ‘Gyakpon’ (local leader). The elected local leaders would be working for the welfare of the people at grass-root level in respective areas and will serve a better connection between the people and the Settlement Office.
The Swoyambu area has been divided into four sub-areas; Bijeshwori, Kimdol, Ani Gompa and Namgyal Chowk. In the first leg of election, Mrs Dukar Dolma, an elderly lady was elected the first Gyakpon for Bijeshwori. Another female candidate was elected the Deputy Gyakpon of the locality. Elections in the other areas would be held successively.
According to Mr. Tashi, after the Office of the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, which previously administers the welfare of Tibetans living in Nepal was forced to shut down by the Nepalese Government in late 2005, a new system had to be adopted. Accordingly, Mr Tashi said that the new administrative system was proposed to enable local leaders to work for the Tibetans in better ways. The local heads will assist the Settlement Office as a channel to reach out to the masses. Through the elected Gyakpons, the settlement office will collect up-to-date information of the Tibetan households and will impart important information to them more easily through them.
Unlike Tibetans residing in Kathmandu city, in Jawalakhel area, Tibetans reside in a common settlement making local administration much easier. Tibetans in Swoyambu and City area of Kathmandu have mostly been living independently. For them, there is little hope of residing together in a Tibetan settlement. For the time being, Settlement Office will play the role of keeping these scattered Tibetans intact.
