Tata interested in bolstering its presence in Bhutan
10 February 2010
Tata group would like to increase its presence in Bhutan in areas beyond hydropower projects, and not necessarily for money, the Chairman of India’s industrial and commercial giant, Tata Group, Ratan Tata told Prime Minister Lyonchhen Jigmi Y Thinley.
Calling on the prime minister in Gyalyong Tshokhang today, Mr Ratan Tata, accompanied by five of his officials said that Tata Group has always looked at national development as more important than running business. He said he appreciated Bhutan’s desire to maintain its traditional roots and at the same time create prosperity for its people.
“The chemistry is very conducive and I hope hydropower is just the tip of iceberg,” he said, adding that Tata Group would be interested in looking at ideas in which Tata can participate in Bhutan’s development.
“We are very willing to participate, not necessary to make money,” he said.
He lauded Bhutan for its goal to create a knowledge based society propelled by information technology. “Many things can be done,” he said. “I am quite enthusiastic.” Although the visit was short, he said “I have already fallen in love with your country”.
The prime minister said Tata’s involvement would be welcome. An entity that has played a tremendously important role in India’s development, Tata Group, he said, could guide, advise and support Bhutan in many areas.
“A country like Bhutan would be happy to be adopted by Tata,” he said.
The prime minister presented a gist of Bhutan’s development priorities and goals, including the need to deepen the roots of democracy. He said Bhutan aimed to be economically self-reliant through investments in hydropower, tourism, organic branding and positioning itself as a regional service hub in the fields of finance, education and health.
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Mr. Ratan Tata’s interest in Bhutan should be highly appreciated and especially the objective “not necessarily for money” is applauding.
One important area that praiseworthy giant TATA could look into is ropeways/cable cars. Of course there are numerous others which we shall discuss in the pages of http://www.ecombhutan.com.
Now ropeways? where and for whom? why? How? These may be some of the questions?
-Yes, rope ways/cable cars?
-In Bhutan from east to west and north to south.
-for Drukpas(each and everyone), for tourists who want some adventurously beautiful memories.
-To create jobs, utilize our own electricity, let forest cover develop in the areas that have been badly hit by landslides, open roads for Druk yul’s exotic organic products to reach the busy cities like Thimpu or Paro and also help market those products outside by bringing them to motor-able areas.
If we can have paragliding in Druk yul’s tourism, we can certainly have ropeways/cable car
We have to construct rope ways, train the local people to operate them, make it an everyday affair in the life of local Drukpas. There is no reason to debate against rope ways if Druk Yul wants to give everything to its citizens and something adventurously beautiful to the tourists.
Small business will bloom in terms of far away small inns .
Drukpas in the remotest villages can sell their produce to the ever increasing bidders in the villages for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Drukpa engineers can be trained for subsequent rope ways/ cable car construction else where. A generation will grow old connecting Druk yul with cable cars where roadways are difficult to construct and environmentally hazardous and we sure will live upto the pillars of GNH in Druk Yul with ropeways.
2. The next important sector that TATA could help Druk yul is in establishing tissue culture projects for some of Bhutan’s extremely valued orchids. It is in fact not a big investment. Once the manpower is trained young enterpreuners are sure to be seen in the market with an increasing export of pot orchids which can straight way flown to the developed countries with a minimum of $100 per pot which would have been matured for export with less than Nu. 500 (five hundred).
3. The third project that TATA can help in is by investing in the production of organic food and medicine. However, we do not want to let the cat out of bag at the moment -but hint the government that Druk Yul has a cluster of red powdery mushroom , deep in the rocky little caves of some of the most difficult brooks in the country . It is extremely expensive and can be used in teas, soaps, cuts, bruises and a hundred other ailments as a perfect cure. We are not talking about yarchagoenba (Cordyceps ), we should not interfer in the lives of those authorized to pick it. However, climate controlled green houses should be made available to the community from the northern most districts of Druk Yul in the adjoining valleys for a larger productivity.
4. Modernizing Druk yul’s motorcar workshops and training the youth for beyond Druk’s market is another possibility.
5. City trains, east west railways, parking constructions, highly sophisticated, land fill sites contruction are some of the possible areas that TATA could hepl Druk Yul develop.
6. There is still another source of medicine in Bhutan- called Silajit by the Indians. It is constantly brought down by only one very small stream in the country. The location though not far from the high way is almost accessible by our ordinary honey hunting techniques because it faces the ither side with a terrifying gorge . We are not sure how much of it is there but if all the boulders and a rocks in the area are to me broken with tiny hammers – it would come to some ten millions of truck loads.
7. EDUCATION is definitely the next field that TATA can invest in Druk Yul. If the education city is to materialise TATA and RUB should get into the partnership to run the Green Technology studies.
8. Druk Yul should not say say no if a mega project with extreme coding and engineering for super software should begin in the country’s pristine environment. This is actually begining in the west- but success lies in the east as the codes are in the Himalayas. Sounds like a wild dream to us but our eyes will soon open.
THANK YOU TATA
More to follow with comments from all.
Tashi Delek
Team EcomBhutam
http://www.ecombhutan.com
ecombhutan@yahoo.com