Kargil: Tourism Secretary Sanjit Rodrigues on Saturday pressed for swift execution of Kargil’s major heritage and tourism projects, fixing October 30, 2026 as the completion deadline for the Old Bazar redevelopment and ordering immediate revisions to several project designs during a district-level review.
Chairing an extensive meeting at the Conference Hall, Baroo, Rodrigues underscored that every proposal must be research-driven and geared toward increasing the average tourist stay in Kargil. Senior officials from tourism, culture, R&B, KDA, CPWD and allied departments briefed him on the current status of ongoing works.
The redevelopment of Old Bazar as a Silk Route-inspired heritage market dominated the opening segment of the review. Rodrigues examined structural plans and progress reports before issuing strict instructions that no deviation from approved conservation guidelines would be allowed.
Under Swadesh Darshan 2.0, officials presented the Hunderman Broq project along with a visual clip on proposed infrastructure and the Sangam View Point. Rodrigues directed the Executive Engineer and Consultant to submit a more creative and locally aligned redesign within three days.
The Secretary also reviewed the Draupadi Kund project in Drass and assessed the long-pending Kargil Cultural Centre and Convention Centre proposal. He instructed CPWD to include a mandatory clause in the tender requiring the selected agency to operate the combined facility for at least a decade to ensure long-term public benefit.
Other projects scrutinized included the proposed museum at Trespone, a water-screen multimedia show at the Tourist Facilitation Centre, and the overall financial and physical progress of tourism works across the district. Rodrigues asked all departments to flag additional funding needs immediately and expedite pending tasks.
He further reviewed the road realignment proposal for Karchey Khar and nearby heritage sites, and called for early renovation of the Chamba structure at Mulbekh. A joint site visit with the Deputy Commissioner and revenue officials has been scheduled to identify land for a planned Petroglyphs Park aimed at diversifying Kargil’s tourism circuit.
Ongoing works at Sher Bagh and the Bagh project were also examined. Rodrigues reiterated that each department must prepare detailed DPRs and substantive presentations, stressing that new infrastructure should have clear functional utility to prevent creation of idle assets. A proposal for uniform signage across Ladakh’s heritage and tourist locations is also under active consideration.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Tsewang Thinlas, SE PWD; Er. Mansoor Hussain, Executive Engineer R&B; Er. Syed Mehdi, Executive Engineer KDA; Arifa Iqbal, Executive Officer Municipal Committee; Nazir Hussain, Deputy Secretary Culture; Sanjay Kumar Pal, Executive Engineer CPWD; Mohd Ali Tak, Assistant Director Tourism; Nargis Bano, CEO KDA; and other officers from Archives, Tourism, Culture and allied departments.
