Category: Ladakh

Ladakh

Four jawans of Ladakh Scouts killed in Siachen avalanche

Editor

Four soldiers were killed in an avalanche in Siachen Glacier of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday morning, a defence official said. “An avalanche has killed four jawans of Ladakh Scouts in Siachen Glacier area,” a defence official told IANS. “The incident occurred around 8.30 a.m. yesterday (on Sunday). The names of the deceased are Havaldar Tsewang Nurbu, Havaldar Dorjay Gyaltsan, Rifleman Muhammad Yusuf and rifleman Jigmaid Chosdup,” said the official, adding that they were on the Southern Glacier on patrol duty when they were buried in the avalanche. The bodies…

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IRB Infra to construct Rs 10,050-cr Zojila tunnel

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Project to ensure all-year connectivity to Ladakh In a major push to provide all-weather road connectivity to the isolated Ladakh region, IRB Infrastructure Developers has been entrusted with the task of constructing Rs 10,050-crore Zojila tunnel on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway in Jammu and Kashmir. The company has received a letter of award (LoA) from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, headed by Nitin Gadkari, for the construction, operation and maintenance of the longest tunnel in South-East Asia, Zojilla tunnel, in Jammu and Kashmir, IRB Infrastructure Developers said in a…

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Government committed to inclusive growth of Ladakh, says Deputy CM

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Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh today said the government was committed to the comprehensive development of Ladakh so that the people of the desert region get all modern housing and educational facilities and other related amenities. The Deputy Chief Minister was speaking at a function organised today by the All Ladakh Students Association of Jammu in connection with Lossar. Minister of State for Information, Education and Culture Priya Sethi, Councillor from the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, Drokpa Thukse Rinpoche and several prominent citizens, intellectuals and academia were present…

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Leh council turns to RSS for UT demand

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The newly elected Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, has sought help from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to intensify its stir for union territory (UT) status to Ladakh as BJP leaders are hesitating to openly support of its long-pending demand. Realising the importance of the RSS, the LAHDC has decided to approach its leaders to get long-pending issues addressed through direct intervention of the Centre. During their first visit to Jammu after the landslide victory of the BJP in the cold desert, the LAHDC delegation headed by Chief…

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Ladakh on road to all-year connectivity

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Centre invites global bids for 14.08-km-long Zojila tunnel, set to be the longest in South-East Asia To meet the long-pending demand for an all-weather road to Ladakh, the Centre has taken the first step for construction of South-East Asia’s longest Zojila tunnel connecting Kashmir’s Sonmarg with the Gumri area in Kargil district. For the execution of the project, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, headed by Nitin Gadkari, has invited international bids for Expression of Interest. The bids will be opened on January 14 next year. The 14.08-km-long…

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Ladakh residents suffer as Air India reduces number of flights to Leh

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The air connectivity to the Ladakh region has been badly affected since the start of December as airlines have reduced the number of flights to the region. One of the three airlines flying to Leh from Delhi — Jet Airways — has withdrawn its operation since the first week of December, while Air India has reduced its flights from seven to three per week. Only GoAir is operating a daily flight on the Delhi-Leh sector. With no other mode of transport for people of Ladakh to travel from Leh to…

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A year that changed the political landscape of region

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2015 THE YEAR THAT WAS: LADAKH From nature’s fury to political excitement, Ladakh — the cold desert of the country — witnessed bad and good times in the year gone by. The BJP wresting control over the powerful decision-making body, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, for the first time in its history, hogged the limelight in the state and at the national level. The year also changed the political landscape of the region as the Congress, which was a major political force in Ladakh before 2015, lost its…

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Ladakh House in Jammu converted into Leh House, allege Kargil residents

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Allegations are being levelled against the custodians of Ladakh House for converting it to Leh House near Jammu railway station. This has forced the people of Kargil to convert the VIP House near Bahu Plaza complex as serai (a rest place for general public) for the people of Kargil. They alleged that the people of Leh had taken over the Ladakh House and Kargil people have no place to stay. “This house has been converted into Leh House whereas it was meant for the people of the whole Ladakh region,…

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Cold desert getting warmer, remedial measures stressed

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A gradual rise in temperature and receding glaciers during summer have turned out to be a challenge for people of the cold desert in Ladakh. Experts and local residents believe that some “drastic and immediate remedial measures” are required to deal with the changing climate in the region. What is more worrying is that “glacier lake bursts” (melting of glaciers and formation of lakes), which is triggering floods in Ladakh, has become a regular phenomenon. Man-induced anthropogenic interference and global warming are attributed as the main reasons for it. “In…

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Sgr-Leh highway opens for one way traffic

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One-way traffic resumes on highway connecting Ladakh with Kashmir after 6 days Traffic on the highway, connecting the Ladakh region with Kashmir valley was restored from Thursday after remaining suspended from December 11 due to snowfall and slippery road conditions. However, the administration has already announced to close the highway for winter months from December 20 to avoid any accident due to slippery road conditions as the mercury drops to below minus 10 degree Celsius to minus 15 degree at several places. Traffic police sources said, “We allowed one-way traffic…

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