LEH: All project works must be completed within a period of three years, even as all necessary arrangements must be made at Nubra and Khaltse before the visit of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to Ladakh in July this year, instructed Lieutenant Governor Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) on Friday.
Chairing a meeting with the concerned Departmental Secretaries and Head of Departments to review the progress of their respective departments, at Raj Niwas, Mishra also directed for specifying the time period after which the work of blacktopping of roads cannot be carried out in Ladakh, failing which punitive action will be taken against the defaulters, while he asked the Departmental Secretaries and HODs to follow up on the complaints raised by the public for their ease and convenience.
At the outset of the meeting, the LG raised several issues flagged by the citizens of Ladakh, viz. the need to dispose of the issue of the daily wagers appropriately and judiciously; the need to clear pending subsidies amount of the beneficiaries; the need to resolve the issue of the maintenance and leasing of the government-owned Hotel Moonland; the need to address and resolve SRO 43 cases; the redressal of settlement of rights of Ladakhi people residing in Wildlife Sanctuaries/National Parks at the earliest; the establishment of Anti-Sexual Harassment Committee in all the government departments; the need to fix accountability and complete pending project work to provide Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) to beneficiaries in rural households under the Jal Jeevan Mission in Ladakh; the need to frame separate rules for employees with medical conditions and the redressal of issue of attachment of teachers/government employees, etc.
Highlighting the issue faced by the Ladakhi students appearing in Common University Entrance Test (CUET), the LG emphasised the need to make full use of government officials stationed outside Ladakh by appointing them as nodal officers, fixing their responsibilities and making them accountable to ensure seamless coordination with students and passengers for the redressal of their issues.
He also instructed the Departmental Secretaries and HODs to follow up on the complaints raised by the public for their ease and convenience. He instructed the concerned secretaries to complete all pending work and make necessary arrangements at Nubra and Khaltse before the visit of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to Ladakh in July this year.
The LG instructed the concerned officials to issue an order specifying the time period after which the work of blacktopping of roads cannot be carried out in Ladakh, failing which punitive action will be taken against the defaulters. He also highlighted the need to tap the potential of cultivation of wild tulips, saffron, black cumin (zeera) and asafoetida (hing) in Ladakh as cash crops in collaboration with Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) – DRDO for the improvement of the livelihood opportunities of medium-level farmers/entrepreneurs and self-help groups (SHGs) from the region.
He also emphasised the need to prepare a roster of SRO 43 cases and dispose of the cases systematically so that justice could be served to the affected families.
The LG highlighted the need to take necessary measures to address the issue of exorbitant fares charged by the private airlines plying in Ladakh which has not only affected students, patients and pilgrims from Ladakh but has also hit the Ladakh tourism sector hard this year.
Advisor, Dr Pawan Kotwal suggested that all the documents issued by the UT government should be uploaded on DigiLocker so that the people of Ladakh can avail its benefit. Commissioner Secretary, Padma Angmo informed about the plan to increase examination centres with adequate seating arrangements so that students from Ladakh do not face any issue while appearing for competitive exams.
Other Departmental Secretaries also informed LG about the progress of various projects and schemes in their departments along with pending work.
Principal Secretary Sanjeev Khirwar, Commissioner Secretary Saugat Biswas, Secretaries Ravinder Kumar, Mehboob Ali Khan, Yetindra Maralkar, DIG Ladakh Police, Shaikh Junaid, Deputy Commissioner Leh, Shrikant Suse, and other HODs were present in the meeting.
Meanwhile, a delegation from Basgo village led by its Nambardar, Vice President, Tsetan Angchok called on the Mishra at Raj Niwas.
Tsetan apprised the LG of the issue faced by the people of Basgo due to the non-completion of the work of the bridge on the Indus River. He informed that NHPC had allocated a budget of Rs five crores to Public Works Department (PWD) for the construction of a motorable bridge in place of the footbridge that was washed away during the construction work on the Basgo-Nimoo Power Project. He also informed that the work has still not been completed by the PWD even after a lot of years. Tsetan requested for LG’s intervention in the completion of the construction of the bridge.
The concerned officials informed that the work could not be completed due to the need for revision in the budget. The LG was informed that the administrative approval (AA) will be awarded in the next few days so that the bridge could be completed at the earliest.
The LG instructed the concerned officials that the project works should be completed within a period of three years for the ease and convenience of the citizens of Ladakh.