LEH: Asserting that every penny out of the budget must be utilised for the last man standing in the union territory, Lieutenant Governor, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) called for giving priority to languishing developmental projects and those of great importance for the public of Ladakh.
None of the funds allocated by the Centre to UT Ladakh should be returned to the government and instead be fully utilised for development activities to meet the aspirations of the people of the region, said the LG, as he chaired a meeting to finalise the Annual Action Plans of the Union Territory and both the LAHDCs under Special Development Package (SDP) and State Sector (Capex), at DC Office Conference Hall here.
Giving his approval to the Annual Action Plans of the Union Territory and both the LAHDCs under the Special Development Package and State Sector, the LG set a timeline of three years for all developmental projects to be completed.
At the outset of the meeting, the LG emphasized the need to utilize the budget allocated by the Government of India for the benefit of the people of Ladakh, including those living in the remotest corner of the region as they are also a beneficiary of the approved budget.
He asked the elected representatives to interact with the people on how to utilise the fund for the region’s overall development.
He also emphasised the importance of ensuring that none of the funds allocated by the Centre to UT Ladakh should be returned to the government and instead fully utilise the funds for development activities to meet the aspirations of the people of the region.
He emphasised that the inter-departmental fund transfers, wherever needed, must be done minimum three months before the end of the Financial Year and in no case at the end of the Financial Year.
Emphasising the need for probity and promptness in the Administration, both the Hill Councils and PRIs, the LG highlighted the need to make Ladakh ‘Corruption and Delay-Free’.
The LG suggested that top-most priority should be given to languishing developmental projects and additional funds may be allocated for the early completion of the projects in the interest of the welfare of the people of Ladakh.
He also suggested prioritising developmental projects which are important and will provide immediate relief and ease to the citizens of Ladakh. He emphasised that all developmental projects should be completed within a period of three years to ensure work efficacy and early benefits.
LG Mishra inquired about necessary measures to empower the PRIs to ensure the completion of projects at the grassroots level and build up their resources.
He instructed the concerned departmental secretaries and heads of departments to take a penal approach in case of non-performance of organisations engaged in the development of infrastructure works in Ladakh.
Highlighting the issue of dog menace in Ladakh, LG sought cooperation from everybody to tackle the issue and proposed tagging sterilised dogs and ensuring that the pet dog’s owners must be accounted for and to have not more than two pet dogs- that too of the same gender- to make Ladakh the first Union Territory in India where dogs are cared for.
Emphasising the need to give priority to cleanliness in urban and rural areas of Ladakh, the LG sought cooperation from all the elected representatives in tackling the issue of cleanlines and waste disposal. He asked for the cleaning of the boulder-chocked nallahs and water bodies.
He also instructed both the Deputy Commissioners of Leh and Kargil to take necessary actions while conducting recruitment exams in case of emergencies such as the closure of mountain passes and non-availability of flights, and also to scrutinise new examination centres to ensure that the students do not suffer.
The LG asked about the procurement of the CT Scan machine for the hospital at Kargil and instructed the concerned departmental secretaries and HODs to ensure that the funds sanctioned for the procurement of specialised equipment should be done in a period of two weeks.
He also instructed the concerned officials to expedite the process of establishment of the Medical College in Leh for the benefit of aspiring medical students from Ladakh.
The LG discussed several other issues, viz. providing road connectivity to all villages, the effective completion of Jal Jeevan Mission works, issues arising due to the closure of national highways, the mountain passes and the exorbitant fares charged by private airlines during the winter months, the need to increase the population of pashmina goats and their kids, measures to be taken to make tourism sustainable in Ladakh, the need to notify all Recruitment Rules for gazetted and non-gazetted posts and filling up of vacant posts through UPSC, SSC and DSSRBs, etc.
Finally, the LG gave approval to the Annual Action Plans of the Union Territory and both the LAHDCs under the Special Development Package (SDP) and State Sector (Capex).
Chairmen and Executive Councillors of both the Hill Councils along with the Member of Parliament from Ladakh raised several queries related to ongoing projects under different schemes and also gave valuable suggestions for the overall development of Ladakh.
The Departmental and Administrative Secretaries gave detailed presentations about the status of various ongoing and approved development projects under different schemes of their respective departments along with the proposed and approved budget for the said project works.
Chairman, LAHDC Kargil, Feroz Ahmed Khan; Chairman, LAHDC Leh, Tashi Gyalson; Member of Parliament from Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal; Advisor, Umang Narula; Executive Councillors from Leh- Tashi Namgyal Yakzee, Ghulam Mehdi and Stanzin Chosphel; Executive Councillors from Kargil- Tashi Punchok, Aga Syed Mehdi Fazily, Mohsin Ali and Mubarak Shah; all the departmental and administrative secretaries; Deputy Commissioners from Leh and Kargil and all the heads of departments, construction agencies and other government officials were present in the meeting.
