On Bhutan’s National Day, Jaigaonpeople expect relaxation of restrictions

RAJESH SHARMA, EOI, JAIGAON, DECEMBER 17, 2022: On the National Day of Bhutan on Saturday, people of Jaigaon are waiting anxiously to learn about the stand of Thimphu on relaxation of restrictions in the post-Covid situation.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020,people in Jaigaon who have daily exchanges with Phuentsholing, the border town of Bhutan, have suffered a lot because of the closure of the Bhutan gate. 

Many Indian workers engaged in construction projects in Bhutan had to leave the Himalayan kingdom because of the strict lockdown norms in Bhutan. People in Jaigaon who used to run their business in Phuentsholing were debarred entry and had to close their shops. Even common people from Bhutan who used to visit Jaigaon frequently to buy their daily necessities could not cross the Bhutan gate. This had led to a loss of business in Jaigaon as well.

Businessmen in Jaigaon were saddled with a lot of Bhutanese currency as they could not visit the banks in Phuentsholing to get their currency exchanged into Indian  currency because of the lockdown. 

This had led to a glut in Jaigaon of Bhutanese Ngultrum, which is of no value in the international market. 

Now the gate has reopened, but the Bhutanese authorities have imposed a lot of restrictions on the entry of Indians to Phuentsholing; crossing the border. For each entry, a person has to pay Rs 10 at the gate, and another Rs 10 during exit. If one stays overnight in Phuentsholing, he has to pay Rs 1,200 per day as Sustainable Development Fee. 

The imposition of SDF on Indian tourists going to Bhutan and an additional charge of Rs 4,500 per day for taking a vehicle from India for the visit has brought cross-border tourism almost to a standstill. This has hit hard drivers and transport operators in Jaigaon hard. Budget hotels in Bhutan catering mostly to Indian tourists travelling by road have also been hit hard.