Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC)
26-11-2024
10:05 AM
1 min read
Overview:
Pitching the upcoming Gelephu Mindfulness City as the biggest “co-operative project” in Bhutan, the Bhutanese Prime Minister recently said that he was grateful for India’s support on the 2,500 sq.km. “Zero Carbon” city being developed.
About Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC):
- It is an innovative urban development project that integrates economic growth with mindfulness, holistic living, and sustainability.
- The GMC project has been envisioned by the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
- It is located in the south-central part of Bhutan and covers over 2500 square kilometers (bigger than Singapore).
- It is a first-of-its-kind Special Administrative Region (SAR) in Bhutan.
- It would directly benefit India in many ways since this city has been purposely placed along the border with India in Assam.
- Features of GMC:
- The city will be built around a series of inhabitable bridges.
- It is expected to be a low-rise city which will have its own university and health care facilities for both western and traditional medicine.
- The planned city will have eleven “ribbonlike neighborhoods” that incorporate the area’s 35 rivers and streams.
- Neighborhoods will be designed like mandalas, with repeated patterns organized around a central public space.
- The city will have its own international airport.
- It will also have several markets and spiritual centres.
- To protect against flooding, paddy fields will be built along the rivers, “forming urban terraces that cascade down from the hills to the valley,”.
- It will have its own government and have the independence to have its own law making, as well as an independent judiciary.
- The GMC will have two protected areas - a national park and a wildlife sanctuary.
Q1: Which all countries border Bhutan?
The Kingdom of Bhutan is a sovereign nation located towards the eastern extreme of the Himalayas mountain range. It is evenly sandwiched between the sovereign territories of two nations: China and India.