NC-led Kargil Council wants divisional status for Ladakh

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 16

The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, which is led by the National Conference, has sought a separate divisional status for Ladakh.

The LAHDC said “the anger among Ladakhi people against regional discrimination would subside if all three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh get an equal share in terms of infrastructure development.”

In a formal interaction with The Tribune, Feroz Ahmad Khan, Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of the Kargil Council, said: “We don’t want disintegration of the state. We want the entire state to remain united but all three regions should get an equal share. Kargil has never raised the demand for the UT status. It has come only from Leh because the people of the region have not got their due share. If the government provides equal share to Ladakh by giving a separate divisional status to it, it will subside the demand.” He rubbished reports that the demand for the divisional status was “an attempt to sabotage the UT status demand”.

“We had been demanding the divisional status since the time when there was no UT demand. The government should decentralise powers to keep all three regions intact and united,” Khan said.

‘LS seats for Leh, Kargil’

The CEC said the main contentious issue between the two districts was the lone parliamentary seat that made it Kargil versus Leh during the elections. “The best way to resolve the issue is to announce two parliamentary constituencies and if that is not possible, the announcement of a Rajya Sabha seat for Ladakh will resolve the issue,” he said.

‘Don’t rebid tunnel project’

The CEC expressed concern over the reports of financial crisis hitting the IL&FS which is executing the country’s longest Zojila tunnel project and suggested finding a middle path instead of rebidding to avoid further delay in its execution. “The rebidding would delay the project further by a minimum of two years. The government should find a via media to resolve the crisis,” Khan said.

‘Varsity demand genuine’

Khan held the successive governments and the political leadership of the region responsible for not having a single university in Ladakh. “Our demand is genuine and legitimate. If the previous governments were responsible, so was our own political leaders who could not project the demand in a way it should have been.”

‘No district status for Zanskar’

The CEC said there was no scope for a separate district for Zanskar as it had been given its due share in development. “A post of the Executive Councillor has been reserved for Zanskar in the Council while it has three elected councillors and a nominated councillor from the minority. They are being given their due share,” he said.