Chinese authorities plan to build a housing estate near the monks' Gomang monastery, sources say.
Large numbers of security troops check pilgrims, patrol the city, the man says following his first visit to the capital.
They say their opportunities to study Tibetan religious and cultural traditions were severely limited.
Police in Lithang pay frequent unannounced visits to Tibetan homes to search for photos of the exiled spiritual leader.
Namkha Jam had been jailed for sharing information and images of self-immolation protests with outside contacts.
But local Tibetans say the Chinese-run event was merely political propaganda.
Tenzin Choephel was taken into custody by police in late March and has not been heard from since.
Gonpo Tenzin was jailed for singing songs describing the hardships of life under Chinese rule.
The destruction follows similar campaigns carried out along the lake in the last several years.
The move will end a year's stay in the US, where he has undergone medical exams, the senior Tibetan religious figure says.
Authorities' refusal to issue the licenses inconveniences rural Tibetans who must travel long distances through remote areas.
All under 18 must return to their government-run schools, Chinese authorities in Sichuan's Dzachuka region say.
They help move families to higher ground and rescue what they can of their household goods and belongings.
Meanwhile, a delegation sent afterward to appeal to provincial authorities for help has not returned, a local source says.
Novices aged 15 and younger must be enrolled instead in government-run schools, authorities say.
Many observe the day in private, or hold picnics in the countryside away from public view, sources say.
The Tibetan spiritual leader, who fled into exile in India in 1959 to escape Chinese rule, turns 83 on Friday.
