“The issue was raised in one of the cabinet meetings and the cabinet has asked the ministries of works and human settlement and agriculture to resolve it,” said a cabinet secretariat official.

The agriculture secretary, Dasho Sherub Gyaltshen, said the ministry will take over the market in the first week of October. He said Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA) will manage the market.

BAFRA will oversee the hygiene and sanitation of the market.

The chief environment officer of the Thimphu municipality, Gyeltshen Dukpa, said there are some rectification works like the construction of the storm water drainage and fencing going on at the moment.

“After we complete the works we will hand over the market to the agriculture ministry,” he said.

The two-storey Centenary Farmer’s Market was constructed at about Nu 98 million and opened up for business coinciding with the centenary and coronation celebrations last year.

However, the market came under public flak right on day one. 

It suffered severe leakages and the walls cracked within months of its opening. Vegetable vendors complained of water inside their sheds. And the customers complained of the filth.

Lamki, one of the vendors, said the vegetables got spoilt because of the water seeping in from the ceiling. She said there was no proper drainage and the customers fled.

The market was funded by the agriculture ministry and constructed by a local contractor. It has 185 stalls on the first floor and 272 on the ground. It also has offices, coffee stalls, meat shops, toilets, and a green house.

The municipality’s market manager, Dechen Wangdi, agreed there is no proper drainage and water outlet system but then the vendors themselves were also not making it any easier to maintain the market.

“We had lots of plans for the market but we suffer from serious manpower shortage,” said Dechen Wangdi.