Terming Kargil one of the two strategic towns of the Ladakh region which should be given a fair treatment, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad has asked the Central government to consider the “battlefield of 1999 Kargil War” under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
Azad has written to Union Minister for Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu asking him to include Kargil under AMRUT. He has forwarded a letter of Kargil MLA Asgar Ali Karbalai to the Union Minister and gave brief account of the importance of Kargil town and its people.
“People of Kargil are highly patriotic who have time and again rebuffed the nefarious designs of Pakistan and have always stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the armed forces against any external threat. Such credential shouldn’t have deprived them of their due share in the national resources,” Azad wrote.
Welcoming the Union Government’s decision to cover Leh under AMRUT, Azad said: “Non-inclusion of Kargil under the mission has disappointed people, fuelling a sense of anguish and alienation over there. Leh town has already received Rs 200 crore under JNNURM of UPA for upgrade of urban infrastructure. It is desirable to spend as much money as is possible for beautification of Leh, but it needs to be seen that Kargil town is treated with fairness and equity.” He said this act of Central Government didn’t resonate with the slogan of “Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas” (the punch line of development) expounded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Cover Kargil under Central urban scheme: Azad
