| News Details |
| Demand for district status for Zanskar grows louder with LBA support | | four decades old demand resonates beyond region’s border |
Leh (Ladakh), March 17, (Scoop News)-Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) which demonstrated its show of strength on last Wednesday in support of their demand for Union Territory (UT) status for the cold desert region of Ladakh.
All major political parties, religious, social, trade and commercial bodies were the part of a mega rally expressing their solidarity with the unresolved issue.
A few days later, on Saturday, LBA’s Zanskar chapter sought a district status for the sub division when its president Tsewang Chotur, underlined the urgency for according the district status to the region which has an important geographical location and historically significant civilization.
Zaanskar is the only sub division in the country has 235 km long unsoled road connecting it with the district headquarter at Kargil which remains cut off for over seven months in a year, he argued and said that Leh and Kargil were accorded separate districts status in 1979 while ignoring the geographical terrain of the Zanskar by the authorities then.
He said the region having a population of over twenty thousand souls and geographical area of 7000 sq km, Zanskar is bordering Himachal Pradesh in south and Kishtwar district in the southwest, he said adding that within the region there are villages hundreds of kilometers away from the sub division headquarter at Padam.
“How could authorities delver an effective, accountable and good governance while staying hundreds of miles away at district headquarters in Kargil ,” Chotur asked and said ‘the rationale behind their demand for a district status is the vastness of Zanskar region, distances between the villages, sanctioning of projects and limited season of executing developmental works. The region is one of the most backward and remote area within Kargil district.”
Drawing parallel in support of his demand, he said some of the districts in the country like Upper Dibang district of Arunachal Pradesh having a population of over 8500 and geographical area of about 3525 sq km has been accorded a district status. Similarly Central Delhi in Delhi, Diu in Daman and Diu and Mahe and Yanan in Puduchery are other districts in the country which have been accorded district status, he pointed out and said Diu district has geographical area less than 50 sq km.
Chotur said the representatives of LBA representatives had met the governor in this regard and they will be again meeting him and will be reminding him of their demand. He hoped that governor’s administration will give justice to them by granting district status to Zanskar region.
Commenting on the demand of people of Zanskar, Tashi Anchangley, a resident of west Delhi, who frequently shuttles between Leh and Zanskar during summer months in connection with his business, said “if state administration could create four districts like Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama within a radius of over 20 km in south Kashmir why not Zanskar which far away from its district headquarter at present.”
By according district status to Zanskar, the region will witness swift progress and development, Achangley added.... |
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