After 13 PSCs, 300 MPs; more Panels to visit Ladakh, J&K from Sept 3

Tours to boost development, tourism in UTs

Reports may be submitted in Winter Session

Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 1: After the visit of 13 Parliamentary Committees involving around 300 Members of Parliament, more such high-level Panels will be visiting the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh this month to inter-act with people, administration and other stakeholders with a view to give boost to development, tourism and other Sectors.
“The Central as well as UT Governments in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are of the view that visits of the Parliamentary Committee and large number of MPs will definitely lead to highlighting issues faced by the two Union Territories and they will reach concerned Ministries and addressed,” official sources told the Excelsior.
The Parliamentary Committee for Welfare of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes will be on a visit of six days to Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir from September 3-8. Headed by Dr Kirit Premjibhai Solanki, the Panel will reach Leh on September 3 followed by visit to Srinagar. It will interact with SC/ST employees, their organizations, bodies projecting cause of downtrodden people, officials in the administration and other stakeholders to ascertain the problems faced by them.
Another Parliamentary Committee on Subordination Legislation headed by Balashowry Vallabhanemi will also be on a four day visit of the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh from September 4.
The Panel will be in Leh from September 4-5 and reach Jammu on September 6. It will be meeting officials of the Border Roads Organization (BRO) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) among others in Leh besides representatives of several companies like LIC and GIC in Jammu.
“Schedule of some other Parliamentary Panels for visits to the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh is being finalized and they will set out on the tour of two UTs once their tour schedule is released,” sources said.
Meanwhile, Sikkim Governor Ganga Prasad is also reaching Leh on September 3 on a five-day visit of Ladakh.
On September 4, Prasad will inaugurate session of Organic Farming Facilitation Centre in Leh in the presence of Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Radha Krishna Mathur.
During past few days, 13 Parliamentary Standing Committees and 300 MPs have visited the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh including PSC on Home Affairs, Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Committees on Urban Development Department, Commerce etc.
This month, sources said, nearly half a dozen more Parliamentary Standing Committees comprising around 150 Members of Parliament of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are likely to visit the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh for interaction with public representatives, top officials of the administration, trade, tourist and employees’ bodies and representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institutions.
The Committees, as per the sources, could submit their reports in the Winter Session of Parliament.
“Their reports will result into boosting development especially the infrastructure projects, tourism and issues projected by the stakeholders,” they said.
Speaker Om Birla is also on a week-long tour of the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir which will conclude tomorrow. He had addressed Parliamentary Outreach Programmes for the Panchayati Raj Representatives in Leh and Srinagar.
The Parliamentary Accounts Committee had visited Leh and Kargil. It had also visited Drass, the second coldest place in the world, to review conditions of the Army personnel deployed there and pay tributes at the Kargil War Memorial. The PSC on Home Affairs had met ITBP officials in Leh, CRPF in Kashmir and BSF in Jammu.
Apart from the Parliamentary Standing Committees, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai and Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt had also visited Ladakh and Kashmir last week.