Siddqa Women welfare society, Shenam who has been located and working at the complex for years in the Cooperative market, sparked a dispute over the land on May 13 in Leh.  The dispute started when as per the order of Govt. the complex has to be reconstructed to develop a co-operative market. 

Dr. Abdul Qayum, President Anjuman Moin-ul-Islam said, “Unfortunately due to the govt. allotment of funds to construct cooperative market in this land, the women have to vacate and shift to some other place. We met the DC and he said that the order has been already issued and there is no other option rather than constructing the cooperative market. But he also assured us to allot an alternative land to the women within one week and reimburse the money for their expenditure.”

“We respect the govt.’s order and hope that DC will allot us land within a week according to his promise” he added.

P. Wangdan, Lower Leh Councilor said, “This is the issue which has been there after the then DC Simrandeep Singh has vacated these women society from another land. The problem is that he didn’t hand over any legal paper for the women and verbally hand over the land to the society, now the issue has been heated up because of construction of the cooperative market.”

Rahana Praveen, President Siddqa Women Welfare society, Shenam showing resentment over the issue said, “We feel saddened to see that when we came for our work as usual, they were demolishing the place for the construction of cooperative market without any prior notice. We have been allotted this land by DC Simrandeep Singh and since then we have been working in this building. We have 80 women preparing handloom products, making bread and handicraft products to sell in the market for livelihood.”

“We have not got any funds from govt. but managed by collecting money from every member of the society to work and run, but if someone come and throws us from our land it is an injustice for us.” Rahana added

The women society used to have 10 knl of land behind SNM hospital, as the govt. planned to construct the helipad in that area, the then DC Simrandeep Singh requested the women to vacate the land and allotted a land at the Cooperative complex. v