QUESTION - ANSWER

Why Chukha is called as ‘Industrial Heartland of Bhutan’? 

Ø  Bhutan’s oldest hydropower plant completed in 1988 and the country’s largest power plant (Tala HEP) are located in Chukha Dzongkhag.

Ø  Country’s oldest industries like the Bhutan Carbide and Chemical Limited (BCCL) and the Bhutan Boards Products Limited (BBPL) are located in this Dzongkhag.

Ø  Major hydro power plants, which are key source of national income, are also located in this Dzongkhag.

Ø  Chukha is the main entry points for import and commercial hub, and the financial capital of Bhutan which contributes the maximum to the GDP of the country.

Why Gelephu is known as the ‘Graveyard of Industries’?

Ø  The town experienced a series of shutdowns of both medium and large scale industries in mid 1980s.

Ø  The match factory was the first to close followed by the Ugyen soap and candle factory.

Ø  The sugar factory which was run by the Army welfare project (AWP), closed in 1995 because of the high cost of cultivating sugarcane and manufacturing sugar, and due to the lack of markets.

Ø   The brick factory was pulled down in 2000 due to the wet and humid climate during summer affected the quality of bricks.

Ø  The few manufacturing and service units that are still running are also on the verge of quitting.

Ø  The Chimi Carbon Factory established in 2001 shut down because of a shortage of raw materials.

Besides poor management, the rival problem in the 1990s and the security problem across the border are the main reasons that led to the demise of old and new factories in Gelephu.

 Explain the industrial Development in the Five Year Plan.
Ø  Although Bhutan has a very few manufacturing industries like distillery, fruit products, saw mills and Penden Cement existed in the 1960s and 1970s, it was only from the early 1980s that more attention has been given to industrial development, which led to the establishment of many manufacturing industries in the country. At the beginning, almost all the industries were set up by the government and later on joint collaboration with the private sector. Today the industrial development in the country is at an alarming pace.