kuenselonline

January 11, 2020
…as it prepares to host the sixth edition of RBFE
Tshering Dorji
As Haa gears for the sixth edition of Royal Bhutan Flower Exhibition later this year, the Dzongkhag Tshogdu has decided to introduce an annual beautification audit starting this year.
This is to ensure that every investment made for the celebration would remain and be sustained.
“The celebration is a start of the long journey and would not be an end in itself,” Dzongdag Kinzang Dorji said.
The Dzongdad said that RBFE celebration in Haa will be something that could be sustained and not just for one time exhibition. “For that, accountability must be fixed.”
For an event such as RBFE, the dzongkhag and agencies put in both human and capital resources. However, the accountability to maintain these infrastructure in the long-term is not there.
To this effect, the dzongkhag administration has submitted a proposal to the 8th DT for institution of a beautification audit, which was endorsed.
The dzongkhag will pilot a beautification audit to begin with. The dzongkhag administration will come up with guidelines specific for the dzongkhag.
“The ultimate aim is that this system should put in place a value for the beautification works as it entails cost both in terms of human and financial. So accountability must be fixed on the concerned people in maintaining it,” he said.
The Royal vision, he added is not to celebrate the flower exhibition one time and then finish it.
The government has posted a Dzongkhag Beautification Officer in every dzongkhag and their primary mandate is to develop a long term plan for beautification of the dzongkhag and to ensure long term sustainability. The beautification officer in Haa will also be tasked with the responsibility to audit the beautification works.
The dzongkhag will carry out the beautification valuation of areas in each institution and then accountability would be fixed on the head.
The head of the agencies and institutions is at the least mandated to maintain whatever value was added in their premises during the course RBFE. However, it is also expected of the heads to further add value. This will be subject to audit every year by the Dzongkhag Beautification Officer just like any other financial audit.
Dzongdag Kinzang Dorji said that the preparation of Haa RBFE will be done on a permanent basis and nothing will be removed after the event, except for some in the main event site. These developed sites will be an asset for the dzongkhag and it will be treated like any other asset during handing and taking over, subject to full accountability.
The audit will cover the entire dzongkhag including dzongkhag administration office, religious institutions, community lhakhangs, main event site, dungkhag administration, gewogs offices, schools, hospital and BHUs, RNR centers, regional offices such as forestry and park, riverine project, telecom, BPC and Financial Institutions.
The RBFE which is scheduled to begin from June 4 in Haa will showcase the dzongkhags commitment to portray Haa as Beautiful, Unique and Sustainable (BUS).
The dzongkhag, in a press note, pointed out that the flowers will be only one of the components since making beautiful also includes, planting trees by the road, constructing parks and benches at public places, landscaping near important monuments and public places, and maintaining clean surroundings.
The RBFE exhibitions were held in a designated place. However, celebration in Haa will cover all six gewogs, the town, drungkhag, and institutional areas such as schools, monasteries, BHUs, regional offices and all residents.
All residents in the dzongkhag are asked to participate in the celebration by cleaning their homes, and planting flowers and trees in their surrounding with emphasis on maintaining their own kitchen garden.