- Reviews delay in mail delivery in Ladakh with India Post
- Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar set to visit Ladakh soon
Leh, June 27: Focussing on further expanding the thriving tourism sector in Ladakh, the union territory administration is planning to replicate the Sikkim model for the benefit of tourist guides and mountaineers from the region, even as the guides would be provided with mountaineering training, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) said.
Asserting that 16 flights are operating in Ladakh daily to cater to the needs of the tourists visiting Ladakh, the LG informed that a number of other plans to make Ladakh more tourist-friendly are underway, while some of the demands of the tourism stakeholders are under consideration of Ladakh Police vis-à-vis their security implication.
Besides, the Raj Niwas is also going to explore the option of providing India Post with sorting space at the KBR Airport in Leh to ensure the timely delivery of mail in Ladakh, Mishra informed.
All this and more transpired as several delegations called on LG Mishra at the Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat and briefed him of their issues and concerns.
A delegation comprising members of All Ladakh Tour Operators Association (ALTOA) led by its President, Tsewang Dorjey and General Secretary Namgyal raised several issues regarding tourism industry in Ladakh, including making Ladakh Residence Certificate (LRC) mandatory for registration of tour operators/agencies in Ladakh; some part of the peak climbing fee being charged by Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) to be utilised for cleanliness drive in Ladakh; providing mountaineering training to guides from Ladakh; permission to use satellite phones in trekking routes where telephone network is not available; the need to increase the number of flights in Ladakh; installation of traffic lights and ensuring no-honking zones in Leh town; the need to prepare a new logo for Tourism Department, etc.
LG Mishra informed members from ALTOA about the plan to replicate the model adopted by Sikkim for the benefit of guides and mountaineers from Ladakh.
He also shared the plan to provide mountaineering training to guides from Ladakh.
The LG informed the delegates that 16 flights are operating in Ladakh daily to cater to the needs of the tourists visiting Ladakh. The LG informed the delegates that he would ask ADGP Ladakh Police to look into the matter of installing traffic lights and marking a few areas as no-honking zones in Leh town.
Mishra stated that Ladakh Police would look into the security risks posed by the usage of satellite phones and then take necessary actions based on the report.
Chief Post Master General, India Post, Jammu and Kashmir, Kalpana Rajsinghot and Superintendent of Post Offices, Ladakh Division, Rajeev Sharma, also called on Mishra.
The LG inquired about the delay in delivering mail sent through India Post along with initiatives being taken by India Post to tackle the issue so that the people do not face any inconvenience.
Kalpana apprised the LG of improvements made by India Post in delivering mail/parcels in Ladakh, including special dispensation for Ladakh to airlift mail/parcels/cargo during the winter months at their own expense so that people do not face any inconvenience; the operation of a one-ton vehicle between Leh and Srinagar and vice versa to deliver mail/parcel/cargo; issuance of extra vehicles for delivery of mail/parcel in interior parts of Ladakh, etc. She informed the LG about the three-fold increase in India Post parcel business in Ladakh within a span of one year.
Assuring the LG that she would look into the issue of delay in the timely delivery of mail in Ladakh, Kalpana informed the LG regarding the issue faced by India Post due to the lack of space for sorting mail/parcels in Ladakh.
The LG assured to take up the matter with the concerned Ministry and explore the option of providing them with sorting space at the KBR Airport in Leh.
Meanwhile, a delegation from Art of Living- Sri Sri Rural Development Programme (SSRDP) Trust led by its Trustee, Deepak Sharma and Director, New Millennium School, Leh, Rinchen Wangmo, called on Mishra.
Deepak informed the LG about the skill training provided by the Trust to students at the Advanced Skill Development Training Center in Jamyang High School, Leh in renewable energy and plumbing.
He also informed that the students at New Millennium School are being trained in bakery skills. He further informed about the Trust’s MoU with ITBP to collaborate on development projects in border areas under the Vibrant Villages Programme.
Informing about the Himalay Unnati Mission (HUM) or Save Himalaya initiative in which 102 NGOs from India, Nepal and Bhutan are collaborating, Deepak apprised the LG of the plan to organise a conference in Leh. He also informed the LG of the plan of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to visit Ladakh soon.
Rinchen Wangmo requested the LG’s intervention in the extension of time to upgrade the schools at New Millennium School for affiliation with CBSE.
The LG appreciated the Trust for their work in providing skill training to youth in Ladakh and asked them to provide skill training to youth in Kargil also. He also spoke to CEC LAHDC Kargil, Mohd Jaffer Akhoon and asked LAHDC Kargil to collaborate with the Trust to provide skills training to youth/students at two schools in Kargil. He also spoke to the concerned Army official and asked them to hold a meeting with the members of the Trust to explore potential developmental projects in border areas under Vibrant Villages Programme.
The LG also asked Rinchen and the Trust members to meet with Principal Secretary, School Education Department, regarding the interventions required for the school’s affiliation with CBSE.
