The complaint that step motherly treatment is meted out to Ladakh not only by successive Governments but also by the top officials, is almost endemic. The record tells us that the treatment meted out to the region of Ladakh almost borders on neglect as if Ladakh region is not the concern of Srinagar/Jammu based administrative forum of the state. It is almost impossible for the State Government to bring out dependable and convincing proof that it has handled Ladakh region with even-handed justice and fairness in the past or would promise to do so in future. By creating Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council and then trumpeting that autonomy has been given to the people of Ladakh is cheap and farcical propaganda. The Hill Council is starved, advertently and nobody is prepared to listen to the woes of the people in this far off region of the country.
In 2010, Ladakh was faced with the fury of nature. The flash flood washed down arable land and the habitats. It is more than five years when that tragedy happened. Thereafter, again twice Ladakh was struck by flash floods and the devastation accompanying these. So much of time has passed and still the mud brought by the floods and deposited on arable land has not been removed. When the flash floods of 2010 happened, the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh personally visited the affected area, took stock of vast destruction caused to the land and the households and announced a package of relief and recovery. Five years have gone by and still the relief work remains incomplete. When flash floods happened in September 2014 in the Valley, the entire county was shocked and the Government lost no time in ordering assessment of the losses done and relief amounts distributed. National papers made Srinagar floods their regular feature till massive cash relief and support for rebuilding of the infrastructure were repeatedly highlighted. But for poor Ladakhis, nobody was ready to ask why the Government had failed to come to the succour of these families.
In March last, when the Governor was running the administration of the State, a delegation of LAHDC Leh led by its CEC met with him formally in Jammu. They explained the difficulties and deprivations faced by the people of Ladakh. They had a long litany of complaints and impressed upon the Governor to take urgent action for the redemption of their problems. On knowing the plight of the people of Ladakh, the Governor had issued orders for immediate release of financial assistance to Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh for restoration of priority sector infrastructure damaged during three devastating floods. He had also ordered deputing a special team to Ladakh for conducting survey of all the issues related to permanent restoration of damages to the infrastructure of Ladakh. Regrettably, neither financial relief has been provided to the sufferers as desired by the Governor nor a special team deputed to Ladakh for studying the issues of the region. Under annual district plan, Leh gets very small allocation which is not enough even to carry its normal expenditure, what to speak about removing the huge mounds of mud and reclaiming the arable land for cultivation. It has to be noted that spring season is round the corner and people who are engaged in agrarian activities would like to cultivate their lands and raise crops. But in a prospect in which cultivation has become impossible and life remains disturbed seriously, it is very clear that agricultural production will come down.
Keeping in view the concern expressed by the Hill Council, the Governor had directed the Planning and Development Department to immediately release funds to the tune of Rs 15 crore for restoration of prioritized works particularly with regard to agriculture land and irrigation facilities. He had also directed for release of Rs 5 crore for implementation of projected infrastructure development works for the Kumbh Mela of Himalayas at Hemis to be held in June-July this year. Sadly, the administration has ignored Governor’s instruction and continued with its policy of discrimination.
We would like to emphasize on the new Government that it should take a bold step of deviating from the old practice of pursuing a policy of discrimination against two regions. Ladakh is a backward region and it deserves to be given special treatment whether it is in regard to allocation of funds or developmental projects. Moreover, Ladakh is a sensitive region and the people in this region are making enormous sacrifices for the defence and security of the country. Their sense of patriotism should not be ignored or underestimated. The speed and drive with which flood sufferers in Kashmir valley have been provided relief and rehabilitation facility should also be made operative for the sufferers of Ladakh.
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