LEH: Lieutenant Governor Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) on Thursday directed the officers to keep the public welfare at the centre while formulating the development projects in the union territory of Ladakh.
The LG said this while chairing a meeting with administrative secretaries to review the projects related to the construction of roads and tunnels, development of multipurpose hall at University of Ladakh and rates and laws for acquisition of land for development activities, at Raj Niwas.
At the outset, Principal Secretary, Dr Pawan Kotwal, informed the LG about the issues faced by the government in acquiring land for development projects of Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Army and Paramilitary Forces.
“The Union Territory of Ladakh Right to Fair Compensation in Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement- RFCTLARR (Social Impact Assessment and Consent) Rules 2023 was put in the public domain for suggestions and feedback. The final draft of RFCTLARR Rules 2023 has been prepared incorporating the suggestions and objectives from the public,” said Kotwal, and added that the Vision Document 2047 is being used as a guidebook by government officials.
Mishra emphasised the need for reviewing the progress of various development projects as per the Vision Document 2047 annually and instructed Dr Kotwal to incorporate the need for progress review in the Vision Document.
Commissioner Secretary, PWD, Ajeet Kumar Sahu, informed the LG about the detailed project reports (DPRs) being prepared for the construction of the tunnels and roads at Fotu-La, Namika-La and Khardung La by Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) Limited.
“Fotu-La and Namika-La, which are on the Leh-Kargil National Highway, would reduce the travel distance between Leh and Kargil by one hour and also facilitate in addressing the traffic issue after the completion of the all-weather Zoji-La Tunnel,” informed Sahu.
He further informed that the provision of diverting water from the catchment areas in Nubra Valley for its utilisation to meet the demands of the people of Leh town.
Ahmad Shah from RITES Limited gave a detailed presentation on the need for tunnels on these mountain passes along with the alignment options provided for each tunnel. He informed that the gradient for the Khardung-La tunnel was changed and a barrage-type structure has been incorporated for the flow of water from the catchment area towards Leh town.
Mishra highlighted the need to ensure the utilisation of the water catchment areas where tunnels are being constructed for the benefit of the people of Ladakh. He stressed the need for technical validation of the DPRs by technical experts.
Commissioner Secretary, Higher Education, Padma Angmo informed the LG about the plan to develop a Multipurpose Hall at the University of Ladakh Campus in Taru.
She informed that the multipurpose hall will be developed by CPWD along with CP & DS. She further informed that the Multipurpose Hall will be constructed as per the guidelines issued by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Anup from CP & DS gave a detailed presentation on the development of the new campus for UoL at Taru, including the Administrative, Residential and Public Utility/Recreational zones along with the Multipurpose Hall.
The LG inquired about the capacity of each hostel along with the messing facilities for students. He instructed that the hygiene and boarding viability of each block should be kept in mind during the construction period.
Advisor, Umang Narula, Principal Secretary, Sanjeev Khirwar, Secretaries Ravinder Kumar, Mehboob Ali Khan, and Fayaz Ahmed Sheikh; Deputy Inspector General, Ladakh Police, Shaikh Junaid and concerned officials from other departments were present in the meeting.
