Separate divisional status for Ladakh will boost development says senior BJP leader

Senior BJP leader and MLC Chering Dorjay Saturday welcomed the creation of a separate administrative and revenue division for Ladakh, saying the step "would boost the development of the region which faced discrimination for decades together". He said the people of Ladakh are celebrating the new division as a gift from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of 'Ladakhi Lunar New Year'.

"No previous government or administration paid heed to our demands, our sufferings for the last 70 years. The Modi-led government has taken this historic decision and we are grateful to the BJP," Dorjay, a former minister told reporters here. Flanked by Councilor Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, Sayeeda Ladakhi and several youth leaders of the party from Ladakh, Dorjay said the people of Ladakh were demanding "freedom from Kashmir" for a very long time in view of the discrimination being meted out to the region.

The decision is expected to boost developmental works in the region which remains cut-off for nearly six months in a year, he said. He hoped the state's nomenclature be changed to Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

Dorjay congratulated the people of the region for this "big achievement" and termed it a "victory of their long struggle for self-esteem". Latre, he thanked Modi for announcing a cluster University for Ladakh, a 220 KVA transmission line from Srinagar to Leh at cost of Rs 2,000 crore, laying foundation stone for Leh Terminal Building at a cost of Rs 480 crore and a nine-Mega Watt Dah power project for the people during his last visit to Leh on February 3.

(With inputs from agencies.)