Highlights Key Demands for Kargil’s Development
Leh: Chairman and Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of LAHDC Kargil, Dr. Mohd Jaffer Akhoon, submitted a detailed memorandum to Govind Mohan, Union Home Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, during his visit to Ladakh on Tuesday.
The memorandum highlighted critical developmental concerns and strategic priorities for the Kargil district, aimed at ensuring balanced and inclusive growth in the region.
Dr. Akhoon expressed his appreciation for the Union Government’s move to create five new districts in Ladakh and strongly urged that Sankoo and Shakar-Chiktan subdivisions be granted full district status, citing their large population, administrative importance, and logistical needs.
He stressed that these regions fulfill all criteria for district formation and their exclusion has led to a growing sense of alienation among the people.
He also underscored the urgent need to operationalize civil flights from Kargil Airport, especially under the UDAAN scheme, to connect Kargil with Srinagar and other cities, particularly during winter months when road access remains blocked due to heavy snowfall.
Among other key demands presented:
• Sanctioning of a 200-bedded hospital in Kargil to upgrade the overburdened 100-bedded district hospital and meet modern healthcare standards.
• Functionalization of the Engineering College at Kargil by sanctioning essential posts, enabling local students to pursue technical education within the district.
• Establishment of a Women’s Degree College at Sankoo, to address the pressing need for higher education access for girls from remote areas.
• Enhancement of LAHDC Kargil’s Capex budget to ₹500 crore, to meet increasing project demands and ongoing works.
• Allocation of ₹150 crore to clear pending land, house, and tree compensation for developmental works.
• A special package of ₹1000 crore to complete numerous pending construction projects hampered by lack of funds.
Dr. Akhoon also strongly appealed for the inclusion of left-out villages located near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in central LAC development schemes, stating that many strategically important villages near the border have long remained deprived of infrastructure and welfare initiatives.
The CEC was accompanied by Member of Parliament (Ladakh) Haji Hanifa Jan, Executive Councillor Agha Syed Mujtaba, and other Councillors of LAHDC Kargil, reflecting a united voice in conveying the developmental aspirations of the people of the district.
