Leh, Jan 23: Maintaining that the concerns of people living in border and remote regions must remain at the centre of development planning, the Chief Secretary of UT Ladakh, Ashish Kundra said that policies and projects should be shaped by local needs and on-ground realities. He was speaking during a two-day tour of the Nubra Sub-Division to review development works and take stock of governance and public service delivery in the border belt.
The Chief Secretary, who arrived at the Civil Helipad, Diskit on Wednesday, was received by the Deputy Commissioner, Romil Singh Donk, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Nubra Mukul Beniwal, and other sub-divisional and sectoral officers.
As part of the tour, Kundra visited the border villages of Turtuk and Thang, where he held detailed interactions with residents, village representatives, and community elders. The discussions focused on governance challenges, availability of basic services, and long-pending local demands.
In Turtuk, villagers placed a detailed set of demands before the Chief Secretary. They sought the grant of sub-divisional status for the area, upgradation of the existing Primary Health Centre to a Community Health Centre, establishment of a degree college to cater to local youth, and inclusion of Turtuk under the Vibrant Village Programme to improve infrastructure in the border region. Residents also raised concerns over the availability and quality of health services, access to higher education and the need for better delivery of other essential public services.
The Nambardar of Tyakshi village highlighted specific concerns of the area, such as the need for upgradation of the medical centre, recruitment of porters, irrigation-related problems, and other development works required to support the local population.
Listening to the delegations, the Chief Secretary assured that all genuine demands would be examined carefully. He said that the administration would coordinate with the concerned departments to take appropriate action within a defined timeframe. Kundra stressed that development efforts in border villages must translate into visible improvement in the quality of life of residents.
During his visit to Thang, the Chief Secretary also reviewed the existing developmental infrastructure and interacted with villagers to assess the status of ongoing works and government schemes on the ground.
The Chief Secretary was accompanied during the tour by the Deputy Commissioner Leh, SDM Nubra, Tehsildar Diskit Tufail Iqbal, and other concerned officers.
The visit reflects the administration’s continued focus on strengthening grassroots governance and ensuring that essential services and development initiatives reach the strategically sensitive border areas of Nubra Sub-Division.
