Before, the town was located inside the Royal Body Guard premises and for that reason the town had to be shifted. After receiving a court order and an authorization letter, the Thimphu City Corporation shifted the town in February 2008.    

As the main road does not pass through the town and many commuters prefer not to take the trouble to drive down to the new town, shopkeepers say they are losing customers. As business has not been picking, shop owners are annoyed. They say the new location does not favor business.

“It has been two years since we have been shifted to this location but still I don’t see people coming here. It was much better when we had the road going through our town in the old area but today all we see is vehicles going without stopping by at the town,” says Phub Dema, who runs a grocery shop. She has been living in Dechencholing for more than five years now.

 “Here in this town I get only Nu 300 to 400 a day. Before I used to earn at least Nu 1,000 a day. Now I hardly earn enough to pay the house rent of Nu 4, 000,” she adds. “Now whenever the month ends I get disturbed because I earn very less than what I have to spend.”

The government has provided land to some of the business owners in the new town but it is understood from the people that not all of them are provided with land, even to some license holders who has established shop for more than 20 years.

“We have appealed to the works and human settlement ministry requesting the government to look into our problems as most of us did not receive land,” said Chorten Wangdi, a shopkeeper, who has been living in Dechencholing for last 22 years. “So far we have not received no response.”

 Besides, he also said the new location is doing them no good at all when it comes to business.  

 “The new area has given us nothing but worries mainly because we cannot even get Nu 500 a day and the road being away from our shops is the major reason,” he says. “Sometimes the shopkeepers carry their food products to the road to sell since the vehicles don’t come down to the town.”

Karma Tenzin, a Dechencholing resident, says, after the town was shifted he barely visits the town. “I go once a week because now it’s far from where I stay plus the place looks so dry without any customers around.”

The business community of the town has written to the Thimphu city corporation asking for new asphalt road to be constructed.

“We have received an application from the people but we are planning to reconstruct the road and set up a plan where the road will reach the town area,” said a TCC official.

There is already a formation cutting (rough road) in the town and the people have requested for asphalt road on that.

 “We don’t want to make quick decisions to blacktop the road which the people requested for because we are in the process of planning to redo the whole road and for this reason we are taking some time,” said the TCC officials.

He also added that as soon as the planning is finalized they will start the road constructions.