QUOTE: “The Army has not been allowing us to undertake development works in Chumar village. Last week, we started work on the construction of a road towards a village located close to the LAC, where the local grazers of our side go along with their cattle, but soldiers forced the contractor to abandon the project. Local Army officers had given a lame excuse that they had been directed by their higher-ups not to allow any kind of development work in the area,” Sonam Dawa Lonpo, CEC, LAHDC In a major…
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Ladakh
Leh highway may reopen by March 25
Less snowfall paves way for early opening of Ladakh lifeline Less snowfall has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the arid Ladakh region this year as the strategic 434-km Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway, the lifeline of the country’s cold desert, is likely to be opened to traffic by March 25, almost one and a half months earlier than its opening last year. The highway usually remains closed for more than five months from December to first week of May due to accumulation of heavy snow at Zojila — the…
Read MoreMobile tower commissioned at Phila Sal Sal in Ladakh
A mobile tower has been commissioned at Phila Sal Sal in Ladakh region under a joint initiative by the Leh-based 14 Corps and BSNL. The requisite infrastructure for the project at Phila Sal Sal was provided by the Army. “BSNL moved its resources from Jammu, which were airlifted to Leh and further placed at a location under the aegis of 14 Corps Signalers. The initiative by the Army will benefit local residents and tourists visiting the area,” said a Defence spokesperson. Ladakh region has a poor communication network due to…
Read MoreHighway connecting Ladakh with Kashmir likely to reopen a month earlier
The Highway, connecting the Ladakh region with the Kashmir valley is likely to reopen a month earlier this year if there is no fresh snowfall on the most troubled portion of the strategically important road between Sonmarg-Zojilla and Meenmarg. The highway was closed in December last year after snowfall and slippery road conditions due to below freezing point temperature. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) authorities have already started snow clearance operation on both sides of the Zojilla, where the Union government has already sanctioned construction of tunnel to make the…
Read MoreFiery Chinars to light up cold desert landscape
The gorgeous Chinar trees that dot Kashmir valley’s landscape and are a major attraction of the famed Mughal gardens would soon be seen in the cold desert region of Ladakh. Department of Floriculture would plant the famed royal tree – Chinar in Ladakh, an extremely cold and dry desert with rocky and uneven terrain where the harsh climate and low temperatures limit the number and type of vegetation. Talking to us, Director Floriculture Talat Parvez said, “We will plant around five saplings each at five to six locations adjoining water…
Read MoreKargil council submits memorandum to Guv
A delegation of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, called on Governor NN Vohra at the civil secretariat here today and submitted him a memorandum highlighting various demands and issues of people of Kargil district. The delegation led by Muhammad Haneefa Jan, Chairman and Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC-Kargil, urged the Governor to maintain the existing scale of rations supply to Kargil district under the National Food Security Act; sanctioning of additional quota of kerosene to Kargil district; inclusion of Kargil under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation; funds…
Read MoreGovt defers NFSA implementation in 4 districts after ration card irregularities
People of Srinagar, Baramulla, Leh, Kargil to get ration at old rates The Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) department has deferred the implementation of National Food Safety Act (NFSA) in areas, where large scale irregularities have come to the notice of the government in updation of consumer data. Sources said ration will be provided at old rates in the districts of Srinagar, Baramulla Leh and Kargil due to large scale irregularities in the updation of data. As per the NFSA rates, the BPL families will get rice and atta…
Read MoreCover Kargil under Central urban scheme: Azad
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…
Read MoreSoldier trapped in Siachen avalanche found alive
In what is nothing short of a miracle, one of the 10 soldiers buried in the avalanche at the Sonam post in the Siachen glacier last Wednesday was found alive in the rescue operations at the 19,600-feet altitude on Monday. In the rescue operations, Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad (resident of Betadur, Dharwad district of Karnataka) has been found alive. All the other soldiers regrettably are no more with us,” said Northern Army Command chief Lt-General D S Hooda late on Monday night. “The medical condition of L/N Hanamanthappa is critical…
Read MoreLeh holds Dosmochey fair
The two-day Dosmochey mela concluded at Leh today. During the festival, the market was abuzz with activity and people took part in various games during the fair. Every year, the day is celebrated on the 28th and 29th day of the 12th month of the Tibetan calendar. This year, the famous ‘chams’ (mask dance) was performed in the courtyard of Chowkhang Vihara or Gompa Soma. ‘Dhos’ was prepared by the monks of the Takthok monastery and ‘storma’ by the monks of the Diskit monastery. The mask dance was performed by…
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