Kargil: The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, RK Mathur, today attended the inaugural ceremony of the Second LG Polo Cup 2022 at the Horse Polo Stadium in Goshan, Drass.
He also inaugurated the Ladakh Drass Festival 2022. Chairman, LAHDC Kargil, Feroz Ahmad Khan; EC LAHDC Kargil, Mubarak Shah Naqvi; Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Mehboob Ali Khan; Secretary, Youth Services and Sports, Ravinder Kumar; Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, Santosh Sukhdeve, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Anayat Ali Chaudhary, were among the guests present in the event. 13 teams, including teams from Leh, are taking part in the LG Polo Cup.
Lieutenant Governor Ladakh @R_K_Mathur inaugurates #LadakhDrassFestival2022 at Polo Ground, Goshan Drass.@lg_ladakh @FerozKhan_Kgl @santoshsukhdeve @utladakhtourism @laacl_utladakh @YASMinistry @tourismgoi @MinOfCultureGoI @PIBCulture pic.twitter.com/M6JNHgdHBu
— DIPR Kargil (@DIPR_Kargil) October 8, 2022
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LG Mathur highlighted the need to make efforts to ensure the participation of teams from other states to improve the standards of the LG Polo Cup tournament. He stressed the need to make proper arrangements and include more teams to improve the quality of traditional sports of horse polo. He advised that the LG Polo Cup may be conducted in the month of September from next year onwards.
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LG Mathur stated that a lot of progress has been made in the sports sector in Ladakh. Calling Drass the centre of polo in Ladakh, he stated that emphasis should not only be to improve the infrastructure but also to provide the best training and use the best breed of horses to showcase the best possible and good quality matches to the audience.
LG Mathur stated that efforts are being made to present Sheena culture to the outside world through the Ladakh Drass Festival. He emphasised the need for the participation of multiple cultures from different parts of Ladakh and outside the region in the Festival. He requested Hill Council Kargil to prepare a separate regional area development plan for Drass and Zanskar sub-division to avoid haphazard development in these areas in the future due to the opening of the Zoji-la and Shinku-la tunnels.
LG Mathur stated that focus should be promotion of tourism in Ladakh through homestays to enable tourists to visit different parts of Ladakh and experience local culture. He further stated that homestays would ensure the flow of high-quality tourists that would also help in tackling environment-related issues. He suggested that luxurious homestays may be explored in Ladakh to attract more tourists to villages. LG Mathur informed that the UT Administration and Hill Council Kargil are making all possible efforts to meet the aspirations of the people of Drass in all fields.
LG Mathur also met the polo players and interacted with them.
Chairman, LAHDC Kargil, Feroz Ahmad Khan, appreciated the efforts being made by the UT Administration to improve sports infrastructure and promote different sports in Kargil district. He informed about various ongoing projects to develop sports infrastructure, including ice hockey rinks, polo ground, cricket stadium, in Kargil district.
He expressed hope to see sportspersons from Kargil making Ladakh and the entire country proud in international tournaments. Feroz Ahmad Khan informed about the success of homestays and shared that more than 2 lakh tourists visited Kargil this year. He requested to provide incentives for the purchase of the best breed of horses to play polo matches and also to purchase sports equipment.
Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Mehboob Ali Khan, informed about the plan to organise Ladakh Drass Festival on a grander scale to boost tourism activities in Drass. He informed about efforts being made to tap the potential of tourism activities in Drass and Zanskar sub-division and various initiatives being taken in this regard.
Secretary Ravinder Kumar apprised of the popularity of polo in Drass and efforts being made by the Administration to promote and support different sports, including polo, in Ladakh. He informed about the plan to develop infrastructure, provide equipment and boost sports such as polo and ice hockey in Drass.
Earlier, Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, Santosh Sukhdeve, welcomed the guests, while Joint Director YSS Moses Kunzang gave the vote of thanks.
