Member of Parliament, Ladakh, Mohmad Haneefa, met Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd), at the Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat on June 22.

Advisor Dr. Pawan Kotwal; Commissioner/Secretary of Higher Education, Padma Angmo; Secretary of Tourism, Vikram Singh Malik; and Secretary of PWD, Michael D’Souza, were present at the meeting.

MP Ladakh expressed his gratitude to the LG for the smooth conduct of the Lok Sabha election for the Ladakh Parliamentary Constituency. He informed the LG that the long-pending demand of the Buddhist community has been fulfilled as land has been provided for the construction of a Gonpa at Khurbathang in Kargil. He thanked the LG, UT Administration, and LAHDC Kargil for providing the land at Khurbathang.

Stating that Ladakh is known for communal harmony, Haneefa said that providing land for the Buddhist Gonpa at Kargil exemplifies true communal harmony.

Haneefa requested the LG’s intervention to retain the temporary campus of Sankoo College and establish a full-fledged Degree College in Sankoo. He informed the LG that Sankoo sub-division is the most populated in Kargil and students enrolled in GDC Sankoo are mostly from remote areas.

Haneefa also highlighted the need for rationalization in the relaxation of ST category posts for filling up gazetted posts in the University of Ladakh. He addressed issues faced by commuters due to a lack of proper traffic management at Zojila and requested the LG to take up the matter with the J&K Government to ensure smooth traffic at Zojila. Haneefa also requested the LG to ensure the availability of Directors posted at Kargil and to visit Kargil twice a year along with the Departmental Secretaries.

MP Ladakh informed the LG that teachers engaged under the Samagra Shiksha scheme have not been paid their salaries for the last few months. He further informed the LG about issues faced by the public due to the non-availability of sand and gravel for construction purposes, requesting the administration to formulate a policy to regulate mining issues and give preference to locals when granting contracts.

Haneefa also requested the LG’s intervention in making Kargil Airport operational. He mentioned the DPR submitted for a water supply scheme project for Kargil town and requested the LG to approve the project. He informed the LG that LAHDC Kargil has submitted draft recruitment rules for employees and requested the LG to approve the draft. Additionally, he requested the LG to give age relaxation to candidates applying for gazetted posts.

The LG stated that the issue of Kargil Airport has been taken up with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. He directed Commissioner Secretary of Higher Education, Padma Angmo, to take up a case with the Union Government to maintain the status quo of GDC Kargil campus at Sankoo to ensure students do not suffer. He assured Haneefa that the UT administration would try for the college campus in Sankoo to continue functioning.

The LG stated that the water supply schemes for both Leh and Kargil districts should be sent to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for approval. He directed the Advisor to ensure the availability of Directors posted in Kargil. The LG instructed the Principal Secretary of School Education, Ladakh, to release the salaries of teachers engaged under the Samagra Shiksha scheme at the earliest.

The LG assured Haneefa that the issues flagged would be addressed in a timely manner. He asked Haneefa to draft a letter on the traffic management issue at Zojila so he could take up the matter with the Jammu and Kashmir Government. The LG stated that a committee would be set up to examine age relaxation for candidates during the recruitment for gazetted posts considering the delay in recruitment.