Rescheduled GCM of Kargil hill council approves capex budget for FY 2022-23

The rescheduled General Council Meeting of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council LAHDC here on Monday approved Rs 233 crore capital expenditure budget for the financial year 2022-23, officials said.

The rescheduled General Council Meeting of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) here on Monday approved Rs 233 crore capital expenditure budget for the financial year 2022-23, officials said. The meeting was earlier scheduled on April 9 but was postponed by the deputy commissioner and chief executive officer Santosh Sukhdeve, citing withdrawal of support to chief executive councillor and chairman Feroz Ahmad Khan by six members each of the BJP and Congress.

Khan, a senior leader of National Conference, claimed support of the required number of 16 councillors including five independents and one BJP and said he is ready to face the no confidence motion to prove his majority but demanding early holding of the GCM in view of short work season. As the opposition did not pressed for the no confidence vote against Khan, Sukhdeve convened the GCM which was chaired by Khan and was attended by all the councillors, the officials said. After the day-long peaceful deliberations on various issues of public importance, the meeting approved the capital expenditure budget for the financial year 2022-23. "The Rs 233 crore plan was approved after a thorough deliberations and discussions by all the councillors, both from ruling and opposition camp, in a cordial atmosphere," Khan told reporters at the end of the meeting here this evening. He reiterated the demand for making the council funds non-lapsable as was the practice before Ladakh got the Union Territory status in August 2019 and said the council would try to utilize the funds fully. "We have utilized 95 percent of the Capital Expenditure budget and 99 percent Subsidy during the last financial year," the chairman said, adding some of the issues raised by the councillors will be taken up with the Union Territory administration for redressal as these are beyond the limits of the hill council. Khan said sensing drought like situation in the coming months, a special fund of Rs two crore was kept aside to meet the challenge, while funds were also earmarked for council model schools concept, strengthening of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Aganwari centres apart from the normal plan besides completion of the work on the girls hostel in Jammu.