In his historic first visit as Prime Minister to India’s largest region viz. Ladakh, the picturesque Himalayan plateau, Narendra Modi defined a new developmental philosophy for the region, which, in his own words, is 3-Ps meaning Prakash (light) ,Paryavaran (environment), and Paryatan (tourism). This is applicable not only to the Ladakh region but to the state also. He has given it larger dimension and said that his dream is to bring at least road, electricity and water to every village in the country.
Our State has great shortage of electricity and we have been purchasing it from the neighbouring states. A major chunk of our annual budget is consumed by power bill. Despite many steps taken to augment production of power and plug pilferage, power supply position has not improved. This summer Jammu was reeling under unprecedented heat wave and power cut made life miserable. This is happening despite the fact that three major rivers and many nullahs flow across the State. The Prime Minster is very right in focusing on prakash meaning light in the state on a priority basis. Apart from increasing production of power, its distribution is also of vital importance. The project of laying transmission line from Srinagar to Leh was conceived and floated way back in 2003. But either for want of funds or for other reasons, it was abandoned. Similarly, there are other projects at different places which have been left half way or fully abandoned. The reason given is lack of funds. The question is why is a project announced after due survey and then it is abandoned. While inaugurating Rs 800 crore transmission line in Leh, the Prime Minister has said that there would be no paucity of funds. We would appreciate if this attitude is adopted in regard to all the three regions of the state. We have said it a number of times that sufficient and cheap supply of power is the key to the development of the State and taking it out of the morass of backwardness. We are happy that Ladakh region will overcome the decades old shortage of electric power and this will contribute to its economic growth. Power projects in the valley and in Jammu region also need to be streamlined and upgraded and if their capacity of power production is hampered, this should be looked into.
About tourism, yes, Ladakh is a coveted tourist spot especially for Western tourists. Its significance lies in its scenic vastness, colourful indigenous culture of the people and unique life style which borders of primitiveness. It is important not to drown it recklessly in the depths of modernity. Kashmir is reputed world over as tourists spot and that was discovered by the British rulers long ago. In developed countries tourism industry has become a source of strengthening their economy. Just having tourist spots and destinations is not enough. Tourism is a highly developed industry and if we want to develop tourist industry either in Ladakh region or in other two regions, there should be a uniform policy and a master plan which is compatible with modern tourism. It means first of all creating tourist oriented culture among those who are connected with the industry. Secondly, it requires board, lodging, tours, visual material, light and sound depictions, connectivity, contacts and highly developed and effective tour and travel agencies that handle group tourism/packages. It is not necessary that multi-storeyed hotels should be raised. In many European countries emphasis has lately shifted to home tourism which means that people volunteer to keep the tourists as paying guests which enables them to understand the hosts from close quarters. Ladakh could be a very attractive place if home tourism is developed. Interested families could be imparted some fundamental guidelines for keeping tourists satisfied in terms of cuisine, accommodation, sanitation, tour programmes, sight seeing, social gathering and functions and close liaison with air and land transport agencies and outlets.
It is heartening that there is a plan of making a tunnel in Khardungla which will provide connectivity between Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh. Once that link is established it will mean a big boost not only to tourism but also to tourist economy. The PM is right in saying that Ladakh region has great potential for contributing to the economy of the state. For example, the production of pashmina, the rare and costly wool could be developed as a solid industry in which large number of people all over the state could be involved. Also in Kashmir, the kesar revolution would be a welcome step. It should be possible for the concerned to take some lessons from Spain where saffron production has immensely improved economic condition of the farmers.
As far as environment (pariyavaran) is concerned, unfortunately in the beautiful region of Ladakh and Kashmir, pollution is spoiling the environment. Firstly there is emission of smoke from thousands of vehicles that ply on the roads of the State. This emission pollutes because the vehicles are not checked strictly in accordance with traffic rules. Secondly, the people including the visitors and pilgrims need to be educated not to throw litter on the roadside but use bins. Alongside educating the visitors and pilgrims, it is important that the department of environment should be activated so that litter and refuse is immediately collected and treated in the plants meant for it.
This much for the developmental philosophy to which the Prime Minister has referred. He addressed the men in khaki also and praised their selfless service and sacrifices in the service of the nation. J&K has been going through turmoil caused by terrorism. We are not the only victims. Terrorism has spread far and wide on the globe. Therefore countries that believe in peace and tranquility as the pre-requisites for development, shall have to come together and device means and methods of how to combat this menace. India cannot be the only country that has to face this problem. Prime Minister’s hint that all humane countries should come together to put up joint effort in meeting this challenge has great significance.
In an overall estimation, we can say that the present Government in New Delhi is trying to infuse new thinking and new approach to the developmental philosophy of the country. It aims at shutting down the old mindset and taking a fresh look at things of how pragmatically we can respond to the needs of the people in regions which are markedly different in many aspects like topography, climate, culture and language. The basic principle of this philosophy is uniform developmental effort according to need and possibility of each region. The Prime Minister hinted at this idea about the Himalayan region which extends from Kashmir to Bhutan and beyond.
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