Preliminary work on construction of Khardung-La Tunnel to start in May

LG Ladakh, Brig BD Mishra (Retd) chairing a meeting of Administrative Secretaries at Raj Niwas Leh on Wednesday.
LG Ladakh, Brig BD Mishra (Retd) chairing a meeting of Administrative Secretaries at Raj Niwas Leh on Wednesday.

Excelsior Correspondent

LEH, Apr 5: Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brig (Retd) BD Mishra, here on Wednesday held a meeting with the Administrative Secretaries to discuss the progress of development works of their respective departments.
As per a statement, the LG Ladakh inquired about the feasibility of incorporating the diversion of Shayok River for drinking purposes in the Detailed Project Report (DPR) being prepared by RITES for the construction of a tunnel at Khardung-La Pass.
He also inquired about the timeline for the construction work of the Khardung-La Tunnel.
Commissioner Secretary, PWD, Ajeet Kumar Sahu informed the LG that the preliminary work on the construction of the tunnel will start in May and the DPR would be submitted in October 2023.
The LG Ladakh also instructed the Health Department to distribute Yellow Book, which has been developed by FSSAI to inculcate the right eating habits for children of class 1 to 8 under the Eat Right School initiative, in schools of Ladakh. He also instructed that the Yellow books in English and Hindi languages should be kept in school libraries.
He instructed the Regional Transport Officer (RTO) to conduct a study to prepare standard operating procedures (SOPs) along with monthly schedule of busses which would ply on the Leh to Kharu route for the convenience of the public, especially women and student.
The LG Ladakh inquired about the recent rape and attempted murder of a minor girl in Ladakh along with the videos being circulated on social media in which some minors are shown indulging in violence. He asked about collection of samples from the scene of the crime and instructed Ladakh Police to file the chargesheet at the earliest to ensure speedy justice to the victim and her family.
He also inquired about the funds allocated by the Central Government under various schemes for the renovation of religious sites.
The Departmental Secretaries informed the LG about the pending works in their departments, the issues being faced by them and the timeline in which the works are expected to be completed.
Advisor Umang Narula, Principal Secretaries Dr Pawan Kotwal, Sanjay Khirwar; Commissioner Secretaries Ajeet Kumar Sahu, Padma Angmo besides other officers attended the meeting.