Ladakh administration defends cancellation of land allotment to Sonam Wangchuk's university

Under fire for alleged highhandedness, the Ladakh administration on Sunday justified taking away land allotted to climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's university more than seven years ago and said it was done as per the rules.

However, the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which along with Leh Apex Body (LAB) is spearheading an agitation for their four demands including statehood and extension of 6th Schedule of the Constitution to the Union Territory, came in support of Wangchuk and warned mass protests against any attempt to browbeat the Ladakh leadership.

Leh Deputy Commissioner Romil Singh Donk, in an order on August 21, said the land measuring 1,076 kanals and 1 marla (over 53.8 hectares) allotted to the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning (HIAL) in 2018 “stands escheated to the State, i.e., LAHDC (Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council), and the Tehsildar, Leh, shall remove all the encumbrances from the said piece of state land as per provisions of the law and effect entries in the revenue record accordingly”.

The order said the land in Phyang was given to HIAL on lease for 40 years and it has not been used for the purpose allotted “as no University (as recognised by law) has been set up” till date. “No lease agreement has been executed in respect of the allotted land and no formal handing over and taking over of the said land has taken place through Tehsildar Leh till date, as per record," the order said.

A day after Wangchuk, who is an executive member of LAB, accused the administration of ‘witch-hunt' through this “motivated decision” and threatened to move the court for justice, Ladakh Chief Secretary Pawan Kotwal said HAIL violated the lease agreement, prompting cancellation of the lease as per the law.

Flanked by Leh deputy commissioner and other senior officers, Kotwal said “this is a unique case where the lease was cancelled only due to non-utilisation for the proposed university”.

“No land will be taken back from people using state or barren land for agriculture or housing, as long as documents are proper. The land originally granted by Maharaj (the last Dogra ruler) for agricultural purposes should be utilised accordingly, and only procedural lapses led to the lease cancellation,” he said.