Aim Is To Establish District Headquarters In Safe Location: Pramod Kumar Jain

Pramod Kumar Jain, Chairman New District Committee, spoke to ETV Bharat's Rinchen Angmo Chumikchan.

Leh: While the recent announcement of the 5 new districts in Ladakh has been well received by political parties, leaders and the people of Ladakh, still there are some apprehensions regarding the new set-up given that Ladakh has been granted UT without the Legislature.

After it became a UT on 5 October 2019, Ladakh is governed directly by the Centre, headed by the Lieutenant Governor. Over the last five years, Ladakh has been demanding statehood, inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the constitution as 97 per cent of its population are tribal, a separate Public Service Commission for Ladakh and 2 parliamentary seats and one Rajya Sabha seat.

To assess various aspects related to the formation of new districts such as their headquarters boundaries, structure, creation of posts and other aspects related to the formation of districts, a five-member committee was formed on September 25, 2024. The Ministry of Home Affairs has directed the committee to submit their recommendations in the form of a report within three months.

Chairman of the New District Committee, Pramod Kumar Jain (IAS Retd.) mentioned that they have already visited Kargil, Zanskar, and Changthang, and plan to cover Drass and Nubra Valley in the coming days.

He explained that by creating new districts, the distances will be reduced otherwise people in Ladakh have to cover 130 -200 kms to reach the headquarters. He believes that with the formation of the new district, services will be delivered at the doorstep, funds flow will increase, infrastructure will develop, new posts will be created and there will be a lot of job opportuinities.

On local participation, he said, "Our mandate is to consult and engage with community leaders, the general public, Chief Executive Councillors, Executive Councillors, Councillors, Sarpanches, Panches, former Sarpanches, former MLAs, MPs, and village heads. We have found that all of them are actively involved in the process, providing valuable feedback and submitting memorandums to the committee."

"We are receiving numerous inputs regarding the setup of headquarters, subdivisions, and tehsils. Although there are competing demands, we are carefully considering each and will make recommendations accordingly. Our aim is to establish district headquarters in safe and secure locations to minimise challenges for the people. When the headquarters are secure, it instills confidence among the community as well," added Jain.

He added, "If our institutional framework strengthens, then all the facilities will be improved, and there will be less issues be it health, education and social welfare."

"We dedicate an entire working day to each location, often travelling in the mornings and evenings. We engage in discussions with representatives, committee members, and officers to consider their viewpoints as well. All of this keeps us fully occupied, making our duty a round-the-clock commitment," he said.

Discussing the challenges, he noted, "There will be all kinds of challenges, including boundary marking and demarcations. Ladakh covers a vast area, and due to the lack of disputes, land value has remained relatively low. Unlike Jammu & Kashmir, where land settlement was completed over a century ago, Ladakh has yet to undergo this process."

"Other challenges include coordinating various departments, deciding the locations for district headquarters, upgrading institutions across departments, and ensuring infrastructural development. New positions will also need to be created to provide essential facilities, improve communication, and enhance connectivity, among other needs," he added.

Speaking about the demarcation process, he said, "While we have had preliminary discussions and received some feedback and suggestions, I cannot comment definitively until a formal policy is firmed up.”

Discussing the progress made over the past three weeks, he said, “Since our arrival, we have established our office, met with the Lt. Governor, Advisor, DGP, senior officials, and the Deputy Commissioners of Leh and Kargil. Additionally, we have commenced our tours across the region. All of this has been accomplished in a short time.”

He encouraged people to share their feedback, suggestions, and grievances via email and welcomed them to meet in person if needed.