Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, Apr 14: The Leh Apex Body (LAB) will start a five-day foot march to Skang Chu-Thang near the Himachal Pradesh border on April 17 to meet the shepherds who are reportedly losing their pasture land to major industrial projects, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk said today.
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However, he said the marchers, numbering around 20, would move forward to Changthang near the China border only if there is no objection from the government.
The LAB, along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), is spearheading an agitation for the past four years to demand Statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
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Wangchuk expressed his annoyance over “some people in Delhi” dubbing them as “anti-nationals or Chinese and CIA agents” and said the only purpose of the march is to “take the pain of the people” of Ladakh to the government which needs to fulfil its promises.
The LAB had earlier called for the border (Pashmina) march on April 7 to highlight the plight of farmers who are allegedly losing prime pasture land to huge industrial plants to the south and “Chinese encroachments” to the north. However, the call for the march was withdrawn after authorities imposed prohibitory orders and curtailed the speed of the internet to 2G.
“Ladakh is a very sensitive place surrounded by borders and we can understand that our announcement of 10,000 people moving to the border might have caused concern to the government over disturbance of peace,” Wagchuk said.
“If that was the concern, we respect it and have decided to go by foot instead of vehicles in a small batch up to the Himachal border within Ladakh to meet the shepherds who we are hearing have lost a vast chunk of their pastures to industrialists,” he said and and paid rich tributes to B R Ambedkar for giving such a constitution to the country which gives rights to every section of the society and also the freedom of speech.
He said the march will start on April 17 coinciding with Ram Navami and there should be no objection to the march as it is happening within the Indian territory.
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