Panel to submit recommendations in 2 months
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 6: In a significant decision aimed at addressing issues of the Union Territory of Ladakh, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs today announced constitution of high-level committee headed by Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy which will have representatives from apex body of Leh, UT administration of Ladakh, top officials of the MHA and other stakeholders.
“The Committee will give its recommendations to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in two months,’’ official sources told the Excelsior.
The decision came after a delegation of Ladakh had an hour-long meeting with Shah in New Delhi this afternoon.
Headed by Reddy, the Committee will have senior officials of the MHA dealing with the Union Territory of Ladakh, legal experts, Lok Sabha member from the UT Jamyang Tsering Namgayal, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh CEC Tashi Gyalson, representatives from the UT administration and members to be nominated from the apex body of Leh, which had launched agitation in September last year demanding Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh.
Leh’s apex body leader Thupstan Chhewang, former two-time Lok Sabha member from Ladakh told the Excelsior after meeting of 11-member delegation with Amit Shah that the apex body will meet in Leh and nominate its members to the Reddy-led committee.
The members will be nominated shortly so that the Committee could get to work, Chhewang said, adding the Home Minister has asked the Panel to submit its recommendations within two months.
“The Committee will consider the concerns expressed by members of the delegation to find out an early solution to them. View of the Committee will be taken due cognizance while taking a final decision,’’ a statement issued after the meeting said.
It added that Amit Shah informed the delegation that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Government is committed towards development of Ladakh and conservation of their land and culture.
“By conferring the status of Union Territory on Ladakh, the Modi Government has displayed its commitment towards fulfilling long pending demands of the people of Ladakh,’’ the statement said quoting Shah.
It may be mentioned here that the People’s Movement, comprising leaders of all political parties and religious organizations of Leh had given call for boycott of LAHDC Leh elections soon after they were announced in September. No candidate had filed nomination papers for elections after the boycott call.
Home Minister Amit Shah had later called the Movement leaders for talks in New Delhi and assured to address their concerns including Sixth Schedule like status for Ladakh after election process for the LAHDC Leh is over. The BJP had won clear majority in the LAHDC Leh securing 15 out of 26 seats leaving Congress at second spot with nine seats.
The Union Home Ministry had promised all Constitutional safeguards to the people of Ladakh enshrined in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India either by implementing the Sixth Schedule or in any other form.
The Home Ministry had also agreed to empowerment of Hill Development Councils of Leh and Kargil, which was one of the demands projected by the delegation.
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