Leh, Sept 22: The Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) held a meeting with Departmental Secretaries and Head of Departments (HODs) at Raj Niwas to review the progress of ongoing/pending work and issues faced by the respective departments.
The HLG inquired about the delay in the saturation of the installation of 4G mobile towers in uncovered areas of Ladakh under the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). The contractor, who has been given the contract for the installation of 234 4G mobile towers in Ladakh by BSNL, informed the HLG that four towers have been installed to date since the contract was awarded to them in July. The contractor requested for authorisation letter for the installation of mobile towers in wildlife/protected areas so that the saturation of installation of mobile towers in uncovered areas of Ladakh could be achieved by the end of December 2023.
Advisor to HLG, Dr Pawan Kotwal, informed that the National Board for Wildlife has already given approval to all 65 wildlife/protected sites in Ladakh for the installation of 4G mobile towers. He asked BSNL to deposit the requisite fee for land diversion purposes.
The HLG spoke to Chief General Manager, BSNL, J&K, Sanjeev Tyagi and asked him to issue NOC/authorisation letter to the Contractor so that the latter could start work on the installation of mobile towers in wildlife/protected areas. He instructed him to prioritise the installation of mobile towers in the 65 wildlife/protected areas first. The HLG assured CGM BSNL J&K to take up the matter of the wrong entry made by BSNL in the Parivesh Portal with Hon’ble Minister of Telecommunications, Ashwini Vaishnaw for its redressal.
The HLG discussed several other issues, viz. the sanitisation of Sharchay area in Kargil to defuse mortal shells/live bombs; encroachment issue in Kargil district; the non-issuance of electricity bills to consumers by the Power Development Department (PDD) due to the installation of smart meters; the update on the establishment of Engineering College in Ladakh/Government Degree College at Sankoo; the identification of new land for the construction of Sindhu Central University; the saturation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scheme in Leh to provide drinking water to rural households; the setting up of security posts in sensitive locations; the issue of an increase in the number of beggars/theft cases in Ladakh; the issuance of pashmina goat pens to ensure the reduction in mortality of kids of pashmina goats in the winter months; the submission of recruitment rules for gazetted posts to UPSC; the swearing-in ceremony of State Election Commissioner; the progress on the rationalisation of boundaries of Changthang/Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuaries; the border dispute between UT Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh; the construction of nomadic shelters for people residing in border villages of Ladakh; the celebration of UT Ladakh Foundation Day in all Raj Bhawans of states/UTs by sending cultural troupes comprising boys and girls; the update on the revision of logo of Tourism Department of UT Ladakh; the retendering for helicopter services in Ladakh; the preparation of rules/regulations for conducting Panchayati Raj Institutions elections in Ladakh; the opening of Service Selection Board in Ladakh for the benefit of Ladakhi youth, etc.
The HLG instructed the Departmental Secretaries/HODS to release the salary of casual/outsourced staff on time for the ease and convenience of the said employees. The HLG instructed the concerned officials to form a committee, conduct a study and prepare a plan on the transfer of teaching and non-teaching staff of schools which have been closed due to low enrolment and also the prospect of reviving these schools if the need arises in future.
The HLG bade farewell to Shri Aditya Madanpotra, IFS, who served as the Regional Director, Ladakh Pollution Control Committee, and wished him the best for his future assignments.
Advisor to HLG, Dr Pawan Kotwal, IAS; Commissioner Secretary, Smt Padma Angmo, IAS; Commissioner Secretary, Shri Mehboob Ali Khan, IRS; Secretary, Dr Vasanthakumar N, IAS; Secretary, Shri Amit Sharma; Secretary, Shri Michael D’Souza; Head of Departments and other concerned officials joined the meeting physically and virtually.
