Leh, Jan 28: Reaffirming the administration’s commitment to time-bound governance and effective public service delivery, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Kavinder Gupta, on Tuesday chaired a comprehensive review meeting with Administrative Secretaries at the LG Secretariat, directing departments to eliminate delays, fast-track pending projects and ensure swift clearance of files.
The Lieutenant Governor opened the meeting by stressing that developmental momentum must not suffer due to procedural bottlenecks, and that every department is accountable for translating policy decisions into visible outcomes on the ground.
The high-level meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra, DGP Ladakh Mukesh Singh, Administrative Secretaries, Deputy Commissioner Kargil Rakesh Kumar, Directors, Heads of Departments and other senior officers.
Reviewing progress made since the previous meeting, the Administrative Secretaries presented detailed updates on budget allocation and utilisation, ongoing projects and sector-wise performance. Key discussions covered road and power infrastructure, telecom expansion through the BSNL 4G saturation programme, renewable energy initiatives, healthcare and medical education infrastructure, tourism promotion, Ease of Doing Business reforms, and empowerment of self-help groups and cooperatives.
The Lieutenant Governor was briefed on the status of major schemes and programmes, including rural road connectivity, border village development, master planning for Leh and Kargil, adoption of new criminal laws by Ladakh Police, prison reforms, manpower optimisation, corporate social responsibility utilisation, and restoration of monasteries and heritage sites.
Special focus was placed on agricultural risk mitigation, with deliberations on extending crop insurance and irrigation schemes to protect farmers from weather-related losses. Proposals for creating a dedicated corpus to safeguard horticulture crops from untimely snowfall and rainfall were also examined.
Recruitment processes for gazetted, UT and district cadre posts were reviewed, including the feasibility of holding examinations outside Ladakh to facilitate aspirants. The meeting also addressed awareness measures for disability reservations, counselling support for drug-affected youth through health professionals, and activation of drug de-addiction centres in Leh and Kargil.
Urban management and regulatory preparedness formed another key area of discussion, with the Lieutenant Governor calling for early notification of Development Authorities in Leh and Kargil to prevent unplanned growth. Departments were also directed to ensure due reservations in government employment for persons with disabilities, ex-servicemen, ex-Agniveer and former special police personnel.
The Lieutenant Governor emphasised stronger inter-departmental coordination for holistic development of border villages, directing departments to converge schemes for creation of small but essential infrastructure such as staff quarters and boundary walls. Officials also briefed him on identification of mobile network dark spots, emergency mitigation works like flood embankments, and planning for increased power demand following the completion of the Zoji La tunnel.
Following the presentations, Kavinder Gupta instructed all departments to adhere strictly to timelines, complete pending projects without further delay and ensure prompt disposal of files. Administrative Secretaries were asked to undertake regular field visits to rural areas for direct grievance redressal and to expedite construction of Ladakh Bhawans in Delhi, Chandigarh and other locations.
The Health and Medical Education Department was tasked with mapping specialist doctors, including cardiology, oncology and urology experts, for district hospitals in Leh and Kargil under national health programmes, with the aim of strengthening advanced healthcare services in the region.
Stressing fiscal discipline and accountability, the Lieutenant Governor directed judicious utilisation of budgetary resources and mission-mode implementation of major schemes. He instructed departments to prepare and submit proposals to the Government of India within prescribed timelines, reiterating zero tolerance for delays affecting public services, security and grievance redressal.
The Chief Secretary was directed to conduct regular reviews of decisions taken in the meeting, while all departments were asked to present clear, outcome-oriented and measurable progress reports during the next review session.
