Panel to know requirements of troops
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 13: Amidst Sino-Indian standoff in Eastern Ladakh, a high-level Parliamentary delegation is scheduled to visit Leh for assessment of the situation and ascertain requirement of the troops on October 28 and 29 soon after the conclusion of election process for Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh.
The delegation will be headed by Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, Leader of Congress Party in the Lok Sabha and will comprise Members of Parliament (MPs) from several political parties including national and regional which have presence in the Parliament.
This will be the first visit of such a delegation to Leh since India and China got engaged at various points on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh after incursions by the People’s Liberation of Army (PLA) followed by matching response from the Indian troops including domination of various heights by the Army.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the delegation will be on a two-day visit to the Himalayan region during which it will visit some forward locations on the LAC and inter-act with troops deployed there including the Field Commanders for first-hand assessment of the situation.
Administration in Leh district is presently busy with elections to the LAHDC Leh which will be held on October 22 while counting will take place on October 26. Visit of the Parliamentary delegation has been scheduled to October 28 and 29 keeping in view the dates of elections, the process for which will be over after the counting.
The Parliamentary delegation’s visit comes after a CAG report flagged acute shortage of high-altitude clothing and equipment, including snow goggles, for troops stationed in high-altitude areas in Ladakh.
Sources said that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has granted Panel the permission to visit Leh.
They added that the Committee will hold informal discussions with the Defence Ministry officials and the Northern Command of Army during its Leh visit.
The Panel will also discuss procurement and issue of high altitude clothing, equipment, ration and housing.
With no major breakthrough in another round of military-level talks between India and China yesterday, the Indian side has braced up to man the heights in Eastern Ladakh during the winters for which all preparations including supply of logistics to the upper reaches are being made.
Apart from visiting forward areas, the Parliamentary delegation is also expected to meet officials of civil and police administration in Leh and the local people to get their view point on standoff with Ladakh.
It may be mentioned here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have already visited Leh amidst standoff with China.
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