As Bhutan’s monarch envisions a world-class city while preserving its environment, tradition, and peace, Assam, in the far eastern part of Bharat (India), can also anticipate reaping benefits from the ambitious Gelephu project in the coming days. The Oxford-educated King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck announced on Bhutan’s 117th National Day last December that the Gelephu Mindfulness City would span 1,000 square kilometres on flatland in the southeastern Himalayan foothills.
Designed as a sustainable urban venture with minimal carbon emissions, Gelephu will be equipped with all essential amenities and enriched with a culture of peace. The modern city, envisioned to function like Singapore for Southeast Asia and Dubai for the Middle East, will feature world-class infrastructure, including residential campuses, office premises, educational and healthcare institutions, and recreational facilities.
The young king, who serves as the head of Bhutan’s democratic constitutional monarchy, is working to modernise his kingdom—situated between India and Tibet—while upholding the principles of Gross National Happiness (GNH) as an alternative to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as an economic and social benchmark.
Bhutan, also known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon, remained relatively peaceful since the 16th century until the 1970s when Jigme Singye Wangchuk, the current Dragon King’s father, introduced the concept of GNH. Crowned in 1972, he determined in the 1980s that his kingdom’s prosperity should not be measured solely by GDP but rather by the balance of economic development with environmental conservation, cultural preservation, and social well-being.
With the Gelephu project, Bhutan aims to capitalise on the economic corridor linking South to Southeast Asia. Businesses entering this economic hub will be screened based on their adherence to the Bhutanese way of life, sustainability, equitable development, and respect for sovereignty. To be governed by the Gelephu authority under business-friendly laws, along with a separate national bank, the initiative focuses on tourism, health & wellness, education & research, green energy, and spirituality, while ensuring the rule of law and investment protection for both Bhutanese and foreign nationals.
Bhutan, while prioritising the mental, emotional, and social well-being of its citizens, presents a unique approach in contrast to the growth-driven economic models of the global community. It shares a 699-km international border with four northeastern Indian states—Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh—with Assam having the longest land boundary of 266 km. Historically, these regions have remained economically and socially interconnected, as the far eastern part of India—now Assam—was once known as Kamrup.
In the early 2000s, separatist armed militants from Assam operated from Bhutan’s southern territory before being flushed out by the Bhutanese armed forces in 2003. Recently, an immigration check post was inaugurated at Darranga, near Bhutan’s Samdrup-Jongkhar locality, allowing international tourists to enter and exit, similar to the more established entry points like Phuentsholing and Paro.
Currently, Gelephu is a small town adjacent to Assam’s Hatisar village and is connected to other localities, including Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu. For Indian traders and tourists, it has long been an important commercial centre, known for exporting traditional soaps, candles, incense sticks, wooden crafts, and other forest produce. Now, the relatively undeveloped town is poised to undergo significant transformation, with plans for an international airport and other modern infrastructure to establish it as a regional economic hub. Indian authorities have also proposed the construction of an all-weather road and railway tracks linking Gelephu with Kokrajhar in western Assam.
Recently, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited the India-Bhutan border areas near the headquarters of the Bodoland Territorial Council. Sarma, who had earlier travelled to Thimphu to attend Bhutan’s National Day celebrations, emphasised the importance of developing key infrastructure projects along the border. He envisions that the Gelephu project will bring economic opportunities to western Assam.
With Gelephu well-connected to Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, and even Guwahati within a few hours, the entire region stands to gain from this unique city initiative. It is hoped that both the governments in New Delhi and Dispur will formulate pragmatic policies to leverage the Gelephu project, ensuring that traders and local residents benefit from the development without discrimination.
