Category: Ladakh

Ladakh

Fiery Chinars to light up cold desert landscape

Editor

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…

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Kargil council submits memorandum to Guv

Editor

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…

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Govt defers NFSA implementation in 4 districts after ration card irregularities

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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…

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Cover Kargil under Central urban scheme: Azad

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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…

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Soldier trapped in Siachen avalanche found alive

Editor

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…

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Leh holds Dosmochey fair

Editor

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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IAF to vacate Leh airbase for civilian airport

Editor

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has agreed to vacate the airbase at Leh district which will be used for expansion of the civilian airport by the Jammu and Kashmir government. This was stated at a meeting held by the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Asgar Hassan Samoon, with the officials of IAF, Airport Authority of India Limited (AII) and civil administration at his office here on Thursday, an official spokesman said. Samoon was informed that the state government has identified land in lieu of the existing IAF airbase in Leh. Similarly, the…

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10 Army soldiers missing in Siachen avalanche

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At least 10 Army jawans are missing after an avalanche hit Siachen’s northern glacier in Jammu and Kashmir. The soldiers were hit as they patrolled a glacier at an altitude of 5,800 metres (19,000 feet), Colonel S D Goswami said. “In the early hours of today, 10 soldiers were hit by an avalanche at the northern Siachen Glacier while on patrol,” Goswami said. Rescuers from the Army and Air Force have been deployed to search for them, he added. Avalanches and landslides are common in the area during the winter…

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Leh airport expansion caught in admn tangle

Editor

IAF seeks alternative land before vacating 11.8 acre identified for project The expansion of strategically-important Leh airport, one of the world’s highest airfields, has failed to clear administrative hurdles, with the Indian Air Force (IAF) insisting on alternative land before vacating the area identified for the project. The expansion of the Leh airport, located 10,683 feet above the sea level, includes construction of new terminal building to cater to peak-hour passenger rush and creation of new parking bays. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has requisitioned 11.8 acre of land…

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Valley remains in grip of cold, Leh coldest at minus 13.0 degrees Celsius

Editor

Cold wave conditions remained unabated as the night temperature across Kashmir division of Jammu and Kashmir continued to stay below the freezing point with weatherman forecasting the dry spell to continue this week as well. Leh in frontier Ladakh region, 434 kms from here, continued to be the coldest recorded place in the state with minus 13.0 degrees Celsius – marking an improvement of over one degree compared to previous night’s minus 14.4, a spokesperson of MeT here said. Neighbouring Kargil town was the second coldest recorded place with a low of minus…

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