The Bhutanese Leading the way.
During the question hour session of National Assembly on 28th November 2025 Members of Parliament raised growing public concerns over the implementation of Road Right of Way (RRoW) rules, highlighting issues of uncompensated land acquisition, inconsistent enforcement, and restrictions on renovating homes built long before the Road Act came into effect.
The Member of Parliament (MP) from Drametse-Ngatshang constituency, Kinzang Wangchuk, pointed to rising public frustration over what many see as unfair and inconsistent enforcement of RRoW rules for dzongkhag roads.
He asked the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MoIT) why uncompensated RRoW rules were being applied stringently in certain regions, but not uniformly across the country, and whether the MoIT would issue standardized guidelines to ensure fair implementation nationwide.
Responding to the House, Lyonpo Chandra Bdr Gurung, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport explained that the current RRoW dimensions stem from the Road Act of Bhutan 2004 and its 2013 revision.
While the original Act placed a 50-foot limit across all road categories measured from the edge, the 2013 amendment differentiated RRoW distances to 50 ft for national highways, 30 ft for dzongkhag roads, and 20 ft for farm roads, now measured from the centerline.
Lyonpo said the RRoW serves critical functions including road safety, infrastructure longevity, accessibility, future expansion, and serviceability and that agricultural use of unacquired land within the RRoW is permitted, but permanent structures are not. Structures built before 2004 were allowed to remain.
He said that land has only been acquired when necessary for road improvement or service facilities, and affected landowners were compensated as per PAVA rates. However, any permanent structures built within the RRoW after 2004 are considered illegal.
According to MoIT 1,036 illegal structures have been identified nationwide, and dzongkhag committees are working to remove them in accordance with the Road Act 2013 and Road Rules and Regulations 2016.
Enforcement, the Minister clarified, is not targeted at Mongar alone, but is ongoing across all dzongkhags.
There are currently 1,973.8 km of dzongkhag roads across 201 gewogs, with nine roads already improved and 51 more tendered for upgrades.
He added that temporary roadside sheds for marketing agricultural products remain permitted under approved guidelines, and certain public service facilities such as vegetable sheds, check posts, fences, bus stands, toilets, and viewpoints may also be approved within the RRoW, provided they receive prior clearance and owners agree to dismantle them at their own cost if required by the state.
Further, the MP from Drujeygang-Tseza constituency, Sonam Dorji, reinstated similar question in a written response about homeowners whose houses fall within the 50-foot RRoW of national highways stating that structures often built long before the 2013 Road Act are now unable to renovate deteriorating homes, nor are they compensated for relocation.
The MP highlighted the hardships these households face, noting that they are caught between legal restrictions and the inability to maintain decent living standards.
Responding to these concerns, the Minister clarified that renovation is not prohibited as long as the existing structural footprint is maintained. Homeowners may renovate and make structural improvements, but they cannot expand the original footprint or build entirely new structures within the RRoW.
The Minister also emphasized that Bhutan’s 50-foot RRoW requirement is among the smallest in the world, far below international norms of 40–50 meters (around 150 feet). The width, he said, is necessary for public safety, road expansion, and future serviceability.
At present, there is no government plan to resettle households located within the RRoW.
