STATE TIMES NEWS
LEH: A delegation from Municipal Committee (MC), Leh led by its President, Dr Ishey Namgyal, called on the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd), at Raj Niwas.
Dr Ishey apprised HLG of them being the first elected Municipal ward members in Leh town. He informed LG that there are 13 ward members in Leh town. He raised several issues related to MC Leh, including the need to formulate the Municipal Act for the municipalities of UT Ladakh; the need for the upgradation of Municipal Committee Leh and Kargil to Municipal Councils or Municipal Corporations; the need to increase the strength of ward members of Leh town from 13 to 17 due to the population of the town; the need for enhancement of financial powers to both the Municipalities of Ladakh; the need for strengthening both the Municipalities of Leh and Kargil by filling up the vacant posts, empowering them technically, administratively and institutionally and by providing them with a civil engineering division to carry out civil works in Leh town; the need for providing them with Ward Development Fund on the lines of Councillor’s Constituency Development Fund (CCDF) for carrying out various development works in their municipal wards; the need to conduct a survey to check the feasibility of the construction of a tunnel at Khardung-la Pass to divert Shayok River to meet the water demand of the people of Leh town; the need for enhancement of honorarium of the elected municipal ward members; the need for renovation of Leh Nullah along with Changspa Road, etc.
Dr Ishey informed LG about the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by MC Leh with International Urban Regional Corporation (IURC) and Global Covenant of Mayors on climate change and energy. He also informed that Leh town has been paired with Trikala, Farkodana and Meteora in Greece for twinning purposes to learn best practices from each other in city planning, waste management, water supply, etc.
LG also requested MC Leh to continue cleanliness drives in Leh town even after the Youth 20 Pre-Summit to be held in Leh from April 26-28 under the aegis of G20 India Summit for a healthy society. He emphasised the need to create an atmosphere where people and cleanliness go hand in hand. He requested for MC Leh’s cooperation in ensuring a clean and hygienic environment in Leh town.
LG also raised his concerns over the scarcity of drinking water and the need for the promotion and protection of pashmina wool in Ladakh. He informed about the Administration’s plan to conduct studies to address various issues related to the establishment and upgradation of schools, health centres, police stations and administrative set-up with the involvement of concerned stakeholders.