New Ladakh L-G Kavinder Gupta: ‘Statehood, Sixth Schedule demands are natural… We only need to talk with people'
We all know that there has been continuous discrimination with Ladakh during successive J&K governments and it was due to this discrimination that the people there used to demand a UT and Hill Councils for them. Keeping in view the hardships faced by people in view of their far-off and inaccessible geography, the Central government granted them Hill Councils and later the UT status following reorganisation of the erstwhile J & K state post August 5, 2019.
There had been no degree colleges, universities and adequate health infrastructure in Ladakh. The students had to travel to Jammu to continue their studies. However, after 2014, the BJP government at the Centre has been constantly working to carry forward the agenda of all-round development there. The Home Ministry has approved in principle five new districts taking their total number to seven in Ladakh, but still people there have many demands.
You go anywhere and have a look into the history, it is not strange. Once Maharashtra and Gujarat used to be one, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh were one, and Jharkhand was part of Bihar state. I feel that the pace of development has accelerated after the creation of these new states.
Likewise, Ladakh being a far-off place, the administration of the erstwhile state was not willing to go and stay there. Even its officers did not go there to serve the local people, but they went there only to spend time. Now, with the creation of new districts and Hill Councils, things will move further, leading to a network of roads, improved health infrastructure, education and so on. The day will not be far off when we will take the train also to Ladakh. After August 5, 2019, when the J&K Reorganisation Bill was brought in Parliament and Ladakh was made a separate UT, a new era of development started there.
This is natural. Such demands arise from Jammu also, although it is a different matter that the development has been much more here after J&K became a UT. We will accelerate the pace of development in Ladakh as well. We only need to sit and talk with the people and convince them. And I believe that things get resolved when there is dialogue. We will maintain that communication. The Central government has recently talked with the representatives of the people of Ladakh on their demands and without studying all these things, it will not only be difficult but also wrong for me to talk about these issues.
Ladakh has two Hill Councils at present – one at Leh and other in Kargil. While efforts will be made to strengthen them, there will also be more Hill Councils, municipalities and other development authorities with the creation of five more districts. These will make people feel that they too are involved in development. And when we involve people in development, there will be no such thing as discontentment. Earlier, there were only four MLAs in Ladakh – one each from Leh, Kargil, Nubra and Zanskar. I have seen them closely first as Speaker of the Assembly and later as Deputy CM of the then J&K state. Their number was not sufficient enough to do something for the development of the region. Now when there will be public representatives everywhere after the creation of more Hill Councils, municipalities etc., things will further improve.
Some are related to defence which do not fall within the domain of the civil administration. However, in view of the region sharing its borders with China on one hand and Pakistan on the other, there is a requirement of a road which remains open for vehicular traffic for all the 12 months to ensure its connectivity with the rest of India round the year. For this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of Zojila tunnel in 2018. The foundation stone of Z-Morh tunnel near Sonamarg was laid in October 2012, but the work on it started in 2015. These tunnels are almost complete and like Kashmir, where we have set a travel time of six hours between Jammu and Srinagar, we would like to have a frequent road travel facility to Ladakh as well.
I am coming for your (Ladakh people) welfare. The duty I have been entrusted by the President, Prime Minister, Home Minister and the BJP leadership is for the development of Ladakh. I will try to carry forward Ladakh's development, keeping in mind the aspirations and thinking of its people. We will sit together and work unitedly to achieve this goal. My administration will work in coordination with the people of Ladakh.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
21 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Rahul Gandhi's concern for Dalits self-serving: Mayawati
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Saturday (July 26, 2025) accused the Congress of long-standing neglect towards the Dalits and tribals. In a post on X, Ms. Mayawati dismissed Rahul Gandhi's admission of Congress's failure in fulfilling the political, economic, and reservation-related aspirations of these people as 'not new' She called the leader's stance 'self-serving politics' and his party adopting consistently 'a sad and unfortunate attitude' towards the SC/ST communities. The Dalit leader said that it was this very behaviour of the oldest part of the country that compelled these communities to form their own party. 'Consequently' Mr. Mayawati said, 'the Congress party has continuously remained out of power in major states, including Uttar Pradesh. Now, after losing power, they are suddenly remembering these communities, which can only be described as crocodile tears given their perpetual deceitful intentions and policies.' She extended her criticism to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, accusing it also of hypocrisy. The BSP chief said the Congress kept in abeyance the full benefits of reservation, failed to honour Dr. B.R. Ambedkar with the Bharat Ratna for nearly 40 years after Independence. Ms. Mayawati said that all 'casteist parties' collude to effectively render SC, ST, and OBC reservations 'inactive and ineffective' under various pretexts. They are all 'cut from the same cloth.' she said. She claimed that her government in Uttar Pradesh guaranteed 'safety, dignity, and welfare' of all sections of society, including the poor, the oppressed, and the Bahujan Samaj. 'The welfare of the nation's Bahujans is solely inherent in the BSP's iron guarantee,' said the four-time U.P. Chief Minister.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
UP Minister protests false FIR against BJP workers in Kanpur
Kanpur: Uttar Pradesh Minister Pratibha Shukla staged a dharna at a police station in Kanpur Dehat , demanding action against an SHO for allegedly filing a false case under the SC/ST Act against BJP workers. The protest, which lasted five hours, prompted the removal of the local police outpost in-charge and a departmental inquiry against the SHO, officials said. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav attacked the Yogi Adityanath government over police actions in the state. He also took potshots at Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak as he shared a video on X of the minister's purported video call with Shukla's husband, who expressed displeasure over the situation. Shukla, the Minister of State for Women's Welfare and Child Development, accused SHO Satish Singh of lodging a fabricated case under the SC/ST Act against BJP workers, calling it a 'deliberate attempt' to target them. 'This is not a previous Samajwadi regime. This is Yogi's government, and false and fabricated cases against BJP workers will not be tolerated,' Shukla told officials and media at the spot. Despite repeated efforts by Circle Officer (Sikandara) Priya Singh to persuade the minister to end the dharna, including a request to walk inside the SHO's chamber to speak to Superintendent of Police (Kanpur Dehat) Arvind Mishra, Shukla remained firm. 'Let the SP come out and speak in front of everyone,' she said, insisting that the matter be addressed publicly. 'I have never filed a police complaint in the last 25 years. But today, it's a matter of respect. I want to know under whose pressure this case was filed,' she asked the SP and DM. The protest was called off only after SP Arvind Mishra announced the removal of the local police outpost in-charge and ordered an inquiry against SHO Satish Singh, District Magistrate (Kanpur Dehat) Alok Singh told PTI. Additional SP Rajesh Pandey has been tasked with conducting a detailed inquiry and submitting a fact-finding report to the SP at the earliest. The ASP will examine the circumstances under which the cross FIR was lodged under the SC/ST Act and ensure that the investigation proceeds based strictly on facts, the DM added. During the protest, Shukla was joined by her husband and former MP Anil Shukla Warsi, who was purportedly seen talking to a senior Cabinet minister in the government, expressing displeasure over the situation. In a purported video which went viral, he was seen having an intense conversation with the senior Cabinet minister and he was heard saying: 'Were not you made the deputy CM to protect Brahmins? And now fake cases are being registered against them - they (BJP workers) are being abused and are just supposed to keep voting for you? This won't go on,' before the call ended abruptly. Yadav took a jibe on the BJP over the matter. In a post on X, he, without naming Pathak, said, 'DCM sir, first focus on your own people, then give advice to others. Earlier, there was only one DCM (Keshav Maurya) who was reprimanded, now both are reprimanded.' In another post, he took potshots at the Adityanath dispensation, saying, 'The ruling state minister herself is staging protest against her own police's actions, does the chief minister want anymore evidence?' According to officials, the controversy began after a road construction project was halted by local municipal councillor Shamshad Khan, prompting the minister's intervention. On Tuesday, an FIR was filed against Khan (corporator, Kanshiram Nagar) by contractor Zahoor Ahmad, alleging extortion, criminal intimidation, and intentional insult. On Thursday, Baburam Gautam filed a counter FIR against Abrar, Younus, Aslam, Yasir, and Shiva Pandey under various charges, including criminal intimidation, intentional insult, and relevant sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Dirty credit war erupts over Chandigarh's podium finish in cleanliness survey
To celebrate Chandigarh's impressive second-place finish in the Swachh Survekshan 2024 rankings, city mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla hosted a warm, all-party tea gathering on Friday to acknowledge the civic body's efforts toward improved cleanliness. While BJP councillors and nominated councillors attended the tea party hosted by Chandigarh mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla on Friday, AAP and Congress councillors boycotted the event. (HT Photo) But the tea party turned cold, and political, with AAP and Congress councillors giving the event a miss, accusing the BJP-led civic body and mayor Babla of taking credit for groundwork laid under previous AAP mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor. While BJP councillors and nominated members sipped tea and lauded the city's progress under the current leadership, the opposition poured scorn on the celebration. In an official statement, AAP said, 'When city roads are broken, areas are waterlogged, people are drinking unsafe water and toxic leachate from Dadumajra is entering residential areas, holding celebrations is 'an insult to public pain'. When citizens are struggling…AAP chooses to stand with the people, not with those hosting hollow celebrations.' Credit should go to AAP mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor: Oppn The party said it was under AAP mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor that Chandigarh was ranked the best and now, a BJP mayor was wrongly claiming credit for it. Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi echoed the sentiment, stating that mayor Babla should have invited former mayor Dhalor to the Delhi award ceremony. He added, 'Chandigarh has also been put under 'small cities' category by the Union government, which is just eyewash. Besides this, BJP should first focus on solving people's grievances instead of celebrating. City roads are in poor state and infrastructure is depleting with MC crying for funds, but the mayor is focusing on celebrations.' Mayor Babla, however, said the event was a sincere attempt to celebrate the city's collective achievement in cleanliness. She extended heartfelt congratulations to the city's sanitation workers, officials and citizens, crediting their unified efforts for this national recognition. She said, 'Looking ahead to Swachh Survekshan 2025, the meeting focused on crafting a robust strategy to elevate Chandigarh's cleanliness standards even further. Key action points were discussed including intensive cleaning drives in backlanes and inner colonies; enhanced door-to-door waste collection mechanisms; strengthened monitoring of public spaces and waste hotspots; citizen awareness campaigns and feedback initiatives; and collaboration with RWAs, schools, and market bodies for grassroots engagement.' 'I urge councillors to lead by example in their wards by spearheading cleanliness awareness campaigns and encouraging public participation in the city's sanitation efforts,' Babla said.
