A few months ago there was an outcry from the inhabitants of Shershong gewog under Sarpang, 12 km from Gelephu.

Talks were doing the round that the Shershong VTI, the only one of its kind in Gelephu, was going to be shifted from its present location to a new one at Dolangang between Sarpang and Gelephu.

This apparently would affect the business prospects of the community here and in the long run the over-all development of the gewog so the people were concerned.

But according to the VTI principal, Lobzang Dorji, the community has no cause to be miffed.

“The rumours are baseless,” he said.

According to the Director of Labour Ministry, Sonam Rinchhen, the people need not be worried because though a new VTI is going to be established at Dolangang it does not mean that the Shershong VTI will be scraped.

He said that as per the McKinsey report, in the 10th FYP, 50, 000 VTI vacancies should be created. Since the existing VTIs did not have the capacity to fill this vortex, new VTIs such as this one needed to be established.

“We are planning to make Dolangang VTI the main campus but short term courses will be held at Shershong,” he explained.

At present the Shershong VTI has no permanent infrastructure. A building built five years ago serves as a class-room and temporary sheds house the students.

The Shershong VTI could not be upgraded substantially because the Department of Geology and Mines found the area “unstable.”

Moreover, during summer, flash floods pose a grave danger to the VTI safety.

However, even the Shershong VTI will be “improved,” according to the Director.

“We are planning to make Dolangang VTI the main one and the one at Shershong a satellite VTI,” he said.

Meanwhile the works on the Dolangang VTI have already started.

The site development works and construction of roads are already in progress though the actual constructions will start at the end of the financial year or the beginning of next year, according to the HRD chief, Sangay Dorji.

It will take around 18 months for the entire constructions to be completed.

“The consultancy services for the design estimate and supervision is completed,” he added.