Professional Approaches Towards Urban Planning in Bhutan:

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Professional Approaches Towards Urban Planning in
Bhutan
Presentation by Meghraj Adhikari, Chief Urban
Planner, DUDES
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What is Planning ?

• a conscious effort to define systematically and
  think through a problem to improve the quality of
  decision making

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What is Urban Planning ?

• concerned with the ordering and design of
  settlements
• a discipline of land use planning dealing with
  the physical, social, and economic development of
  regions, municipalities and neighborhoods

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Emerging urban trends

• Fast-paced development
• urban sprawl
• Replacement of older buildings
• with new designs materials
• Maximum permissible coverage
• - compromise on safety
• environment
• Conflict / competition of land use
• Land fragmentation
• pressure on agricultural land

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Why do we need Urban Planning ?

• Rapid pace of socio-economic development
• Growth pressure
• Designate land uses for proper development
• Coordinated infrastructure programmes
• Check haphazard piecemeal growth
• Create opportunities for employment, education,
  health,
• business, shelter, recreation etc
• the need for planning comes down to two words
  interconnectedness and complexity

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unplanned area an example
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planned area an example
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New approach to Urban Planning

• Public participation and consultation
• Consultation with institutional heads and other
  stakeholders
• Preparation of structure plan, local area plans
• Presentation of the draft plans to
• Public and institutional heads for appraisal,
  comments and endorsement
• DUDES technical committee for technical approval
• NCCHS for final approval

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Planning techniques adopted

• Land Acquisition (Land Act 1979)
• increasingly restrained
• Land Pooling Schemes
• increasingly encouraged
• Guided Land Development
• where land pooling is not
• practicable

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DCR/ BBR Legal basis for planning

• A regulatory framework
• - to facilitate planning and development
• - to expedite the development approval
• process
• - to ensure minimum quality and safety
• standards

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do we like what we build?
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do we like what we build?
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approved proposal vs constructed building
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Enhancing Professionalism

• to build the places we like

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the issues

• Lack of proper documents (supporting land
  transactions and building proposals)
• Designers failure (refusal?) to sign the
  drawings and non-submission of certificates
• Sub-standard/ defective drawings
• Failure to submit revised drawings leading to a
  long approval duration
• On-site/ un-authorized deviations

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Documents to be submitted
1. Sale deed or Agreement (Genja) (signed
on judicial stamp) 2. Copy of
allotment/ownership certificate 3. Copy of ID
Cards of both parties 4. No Objection Statement
from the children and spouse of the
seller 5. Valuation of the Building by a Civil
Engineer if the building transfer is
involved
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. . . . . . contd.
6. Family tree/Census status/Marriage
certificate (if the transfer is
within the immediate family
members) 7. Inheritance Certificate issued by
the Court
(if the property is inherited) 8.
Clearance Letter from the concerned
Financial Institute if the property is
mortgaged 9. A court verdict if the property is
seized by any financial institution
and sold 10. A court order and death certificate
if the transferor is deceased
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C H E C K L I S T for transfer of
sold/purchased properties 1. Sale deed executed
legally (in the presence of minimum two
witnesses) 2. Copy of allotment order/ownership
certificate of the plot (duly attested by the
Municipal Corporation) 3. No objection letter
from children spouse of the seller 4.
Clearance from Financial Institutions if the
property is Mortgaged 5. Citizenship ID
copy of buyer (reflecting eligibility of age) 6.
Consent of joint owners if any 7. Duly filled
Transfer Form 8. Plot details (with valuation
prepared by Municipal Engineer endorsed by
Chairman/Thrompon)
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C H E C K L I S T for transfer of inherited
properties 1. Original Inheritance Certificate
issued by Thrimkhang (will of parents naming
legal heir) 2. Copy of allotment order/ownership
certificate of the plot (duly attested by the
Municipal Corporation) 3. Clearance from
Financial Institutions if the property is
Mortgaged 4. Citizenship ID copy of inheritor
(reflecting eligibility of age) 5. Plot details
size/area, vacant/built up, type of structure if
any 6. Duly filled Transfer Form (signed by ME
Chairman) 7. 5 transfer fee cannot be exempted
if inheritor is not immediate family
member The proposal shall be retained with
Municipality for one month, if no dispute arise,
it shall be forwarded to DUDH
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C H E C K L I S T for transfer of gifted
properties 1. Statements attested by not less
than two witnesses submitted through
Thrimkhang 2. Copy of allotment order/ownership
certificate of the plot (duly attested by the
Municipal Corporation) 3. Clearance from
Financial Institutions if the property is
Mortgaged 4. Citizenship ID copy of inheritor
(reflecting eligibility of age) 5. Consent of
joint owners if any 6. Plot details size/area,
vacant/built up, type of structure if any 7.
Duly filled Transfer Form (signed by ME
Chairman) 8. 5 transfer fee cannot be
exempted The proposal shall be retained with
Municipality for one month, if no dispute arise,
it shall be forwarded to DUDH
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THANK YOU