Councillor Rambirpora Drass & Councillor Bhimbet-led delegation from Drass call on Hon’ble Lt Governor Brig (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd).

Leh, Jan 15, 2024: A delegation from Drass led by Councillor, Rambirpora, Drass, Shri Abdul Samad and Councillor, Bhimbet, Shri Abdul Wahid, called on the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd), at the Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat. Member of Parliament from Ladakh, Shri Jamyang Tsering Namgyal; Commissioner Secretary, Shri Kacho Mehboob Ali Khan, IRS; Secretary to the HLG, Shri Ravinder Kumar, IAS; Director, Health Services, Dr Motup Dorje and Chief Engineer, PWD, Shri Mutalib were present in the meeting.
The delegates led by Councillor Rambiprora, Drass and Councillor, Bhimbet, requested district status for Drass sub-division. They also raised several other demands, viz., the creation of a Public Works Division in the Drass sub-division; the prioritisation of construction of irrigation khuls from Marpochoo to Thasgam and Youlboo to Kharboo; the opening of the Drass-Gurez road to boost tourism activities; promotion of winter tourism and patriotic tourism in the sub-division; the fixation of boundaries on the UT Ladakh and UT J&K border; the need to appoint a full-time sub-divisional magistrate and filling up the posts of patwaris along with the creation of posts for the SDM Office; the need to construct snow/avalanche protection bunds in Kharboo village; the need to extend the number of days of Vijay Diwas celebration to boost tourism; the need for doctors, especially gynaecologist and paediatrician, at Sub-District Hospital in Drass; the need to expedite Gondola project at Drass; the development of Zoji-La as a tourist hub and opening of new trekking routes in Drass sub-division, etc.
The HLG stated that he is committed to the welfare and meeting the aspirations of the people of Ladakh which are within his power. He stated that the decentralisation of Ladakh has already been taken up with the Government of India. He instructed Commissioner Secretary, Tourism, Shri Kacho Mehboob Ali Khan, IRS, to work on the development and promotion of tourism activities in Ladakh. He also asked Secretary, Youth Services and Sports, Shri Ravinder Kumar, IAS, to develop high-end sports infrastructure at Drass to promote winter and year-round sports.
The HLG instructed the Chief Engineer of PWD to assess the demand for the construction of a Public Works Division, the preparation of DPRs for the irrigation canals and the snow avalanche protection bunds to provide relief to the people of Kharboo village. He also spoke to GOC, 8 Mountain Division, Maj Gen Sachin Malik and inquired about the possibility of opening Mushko Valley for tourists and extending the number of days for the celebration of Vijay Diwas in Kargil to boost the livelihood of people engaged in tourism activities.