LAHDC Kargil chairman meets Sitharaman, seeks Rs 1,000 crore special package

Leh, June 16: Mohd Jaffer Akhoon, the chairman and chief executive councillor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman here on Monday and submitted a memorandum, which among other things sought a special package of Rs 1,000 crore to complete the vital infrastructure projects.

Akhoon during the meeting presented a comprehensive memorandum outlining several key developmental and infrastructural demands concerning the Kargil district, an official said.

The memorandum emphasised the urgent needs of the region and sought the Union Finance Ministry’s intervention in key sectors such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, governance and tourism, he added.

The official said that a special package of Rs 1,000 crore was requested to complete vital infrastructure projects stalled due to insufficient funding.

The finances in Ladakh have become a big problem in the current financial year due to Rs 1,266 crore worth cuts in the budget by the Finance Ministry.

Among the other key demands presented include an upgradation of the existing 100-bed district hospital to a 200-bed hospital, establishment of a super specialty hospital or a Mini AIIMS and runway expansion and immediate commencement of civil air operations from Kargil, the official said.

The chairman of LAHDC, Kargil, also demanded a separate women’s college in Sankoo and immediate operationalization of the sanctioned engineering college with full faculty and infrastructure support.

It was urged that funds allocated to the LAHDC be made non-lapsable to ensure efficient utilization and multi-year planning and enhancement of the LAHDC Capex grant to Rs 500 crore annually.