16 students airlifted from remote village of Lingshed

Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, Feb 22: UT Ladakh administration pressed chopper into service to lift the stranded students from remote villages of Lingshed in Ladakh.
As many as 16 students were lifted in 2 sorties of Air Force Heli service operated on Friday and Saturday.

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These students had gone to spend their long winter vacations in their respective villages in Dipling, Youlchung, Nyraks, Skumpata, Lingshed, Photoksar that remains cut off from rest of Ladakh for six month due to blockage of road.
As the schools are reopening in UT Ladakh from 2nd of March after long winter vacation, the Administration made chopper service arrangement to lift the stranded students.
During winter month the above villages have no any other option to travel to Leh except by chopper service or to walk on the frozen ice sheet of Zanskar River but at this time, it is very risky to walk on the ice as its starts melting in some places, said one of the Lingshed resident Tsering Tashi who came with the students in chopper today.
The isolated mountainous regions of Ladakh remains cut off from the rest of the country by surface for six months but there are some remote villages in Ladakh which even remains cut off from Leh city for six months.
Responding to a query Lingshed Sarpanch Dorjay Namgyal said that the road to their villages will be opened in first week of May but mostly depends on work of GREF.
Naib Tehsildar Attaullah who is appointed as Nodal Officer for Heli services to Padum, Zanskar, Lingshed during winter months said that four sorties were operated during the past two days but there are still hundred of stranded passenger in Zanskar and expected to operate more from Monday.