A permanent craft market to come up near the truck parking area

The building of a traditional house near the craft bazaar is a prototype of more traditional houses that the Ministry of Home and Cultural affairs together with the Chardi committee is going to construct in times to come.

The traditional house is a prototype for a new, more durable and more aesthetically pleasing traditional handicrafts market near the truck parking.

The Manager of the Agency for Promotion of Indigenous Craft (APIC), Karma said, “The traditional house that is being built is just a model. We have got land and such similar houses are to be built at the present truck parking area near the fly over bridge.”

She said, this house is to be used as a model and it is to keep the samples of products like natural dye, handicraft products; bowl, bangchung, palang, masks, brooches, gho and kira that comes from the different parts of the country.

According to the sources, in order to construct such similar houses in the place of truck parking, the Chardi committee has allocated Nu 18 Million.

However, the exact time line and construction of the number of such similar houses is being looked into. The CEO of APIC said it is a Royal project that is under process and there has been no timeline decided on when it is going to shift down to truck parking.

While the MoHCA and Chardi committee are initiating the project, the technical support for construction of the model of traditional house was provided by the Ministry of Works and Human settlement and the works for painting is being carried out by the

Kawajangsa institute of Zorig Chusum.

Excluding the expenditure for construction, the chardi committee and MoHCA has allocated a total amount of Nu 70,000 for painting the model house, said the painting coordinator.

He said, “The construction work is completed and we have started painting since one-week back, it will complete by this Thursday or Friday.”

To support the project promote indigenous craft in the country, the Agency for Promotion of Indigenous Craft (APIC) has donated a sum of Nu 300,000.

As of now, there are 80 shops at craft bazaar and the plan in the long run is to build 180 traditional houses around the truck parking area.

This project will come as a major relief to the craft bazaar as it is currently housed in a temporary bamboo market on a road which they will have to vacate once the Thimphu Thromde turns Norzin Lam into a Pedestrian zone in the coming years. The current temporary structures which was initiated by the APIC under the former government has issues with leaky roofs, no bathroom facilities, is vulnerable to theft and there is a lack of aesthetic value.

The new and more permanent and durable market at the truck parking area will ensure better facilities for those selling Bhutanese handicraft and it will also be easily accessible as it is located right next to the Expressway.

The new market, once built, is expected to further boost the handicraft sector in Bhutan by selling Bhutanese handicraft goods at the market.

The market is also expected to have to some good places to eat Bhutanese food and others and will also offer a good tourism product for tourists.