Leh: In the last three-and-a-half year of its reorganisation as a union territory, not a single soul has bought land in Ladakh, nor has the cold desert received any investment from any national or international company, the centre government said on Wednesday.
The government’s reply in the parliament has clarified the situation on the ‘outsiders’ fear’ that is being perceived and also fuelled by certain sections in Ladakh for long now.
After their decades-long struggle for Union Territory status bore fruit in 2019, the people from Ladakh have been demanding special constitutional safeguards for the protection of employment, culture, environment and trade, and particularly the land, which they fear will be bought by rich industrialists and businessmen.
The fear, it turned out, was unfounded as Rajya Sabha was informed Wednesday that no one has from outside has bought land in Ladakh Union Territory in the last three years.
The Ministry of Home Affairs informed the Rajya Sabha that no Indian company including multinationals had invested in Ladakh in the past three years.
“No land had been bought from people outside the Union Territory during the same period,” said the Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai.
In the same time period, 185 persons from outside the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir had bought land in the UT during the years 2020, 2021 and 2022, and a total of 1,559 Indian companies, including multinational companies, had made investments in the UT, he said.
Giving details, the Minister said that in 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23, the number of entities that invested in J&K stood at 310, 175 and 1,074, respectively.
The reply added that while in 2020, only one individual had purchased land in J&K; in 2021 and 2022, the number stood at 57 and 127, respectively.
The special status of the former State of J&K was revoked by the Parliament on August 5, 2019, and it bifurcated into two Union Territories— J&K and Ladakh, the latter without a Legislative Assembly.
Reacting to the development, a senior official said they are not surprised.
“The fact is that the geographical remoteness and hostile climate of Ladakh do not suit any big industry leader or any multinational company to purchase land and set up a unit in the region. They require a large workforce and easy access to resources, which Ladakh does not have.
“It is unfortunate that certain elements have been mongering outsiders’ fear among Ladakhis,” they added.
