Ladakh division, a decision in haste
Carving out another division from Kashmir zone was a major decision which the governors administration took, however, the decision is proving to be taken in haste and without any major consultations with the concerned stakeholders.
The government’s decision has pitched people of two regions-Ladakh and Kargil against each other. While Leh has got the distinction of accommodating the divisional offices, people of Kargil are feeling deprived.
On Sunday thousands of people marched the streets of Kargil against the administration’s decision to permanently post the divisional commissioner and Inspector General of Police (IGP) offices for the newly created Ladakh division in Leh town.
The people of Kargil are demanding that divisional commissioner and IGP offices function on rotational basis — in Kargil during summers and in Leh during winters.
The procession was taken out under the banner of two influential religious organisations — Islamic school and Khumani Memorial Trust — and ended peacefully after a delegation met the deputy commissioner and submitted a memorandum to highlight their demands.
The massive rally in which people from all walks of life, including politicians, religious leaders and social workers, participated after marching the streets of the town for nearly four hours culminated peacefully.
However, the message was loud and clear-that the people of Kargil cannot be taken for granted and their demands need to be heard. The crowd urged the Governor Satya Pal Malik to review his decision.
Ladakh was for all practical purposes associated with Kashmir zone and all administrative decisions regarding the area were taken by the administration based in Srinagar.
Though the region is the largest in terms of geographical spread, but the land is sparsely populated owing to the difficult terrain and harsh weather the area witnesses for most parts of the year.
It was just last week that the Jammu and Kashmir administration sanctioned creation of a separate administrative and revenue division for Ladakh, with its headquarters at Leh.
The decision of the government meant that Ladakh region will have all the officials to take prompt decisions depending on the need of the people, but the government failed to listen to the sentiments of people living in Kargil region.
Now that the cat is out of the bag, the decision of the government to place all the divisional officers in Leh has created a crisis like situation as all prominent politicians from Kargil affiliated with the National Conference, the PDP and the Congress have come together and threatened mass agitation if the governor administration did not review its decision to permanently post the divisional commissioner and inspector general of police headquarters in Leh.
Kargil has been ignored in the developmental process. The region is lacking in facilities and other growth parameters compared to Leh district and the decision to have a static headquarter at Leh has put the present administration in a catch 22 situation.
The government runs the risk of wronging a right. Divisional status is a right step and static headquarters has proved a wrong one, which the administration may have to rethink.
KV Network
