April-June 2013 - Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies

April-June 34
Seminar Report
Ladakh 2013 - Economy, Society, Governance & Politics- New Issues, Young Voices
Zainab Akhter
Research Officer, IReS, IPCS
D. Suba Chandran, Director, IPCS, New Delhi
The workshop is primarily for scholars from both parts of
Ladakh; to discuss new issues beyond tourism and high
passes, which is why we have titled it as 'economy, society,
governance and politics'.
There is so much that we need to learn, and there is so much
that they have to share with us. The idea is to get young voices to
put forward and listen to the seniors on whether we are on the
right track. I am grateful that we can get the seniors, who have
enormous knowledge about the subject, as resource persons
today.
From an institutional perspective, a singular event is not the only
agenda we have regarding Ladakh; rather, we want to make it a
process so that a Ladakh research forum may be initiated
sometime in the future, that will see the region on a much closer
and regular basis.
Nawang Rigzin Jora, Hon'ble Minister for Urban Development
and Urban Local Bodies, J&K
Ladakh has been known for several good things, as well as some
bad things. The bad thing is people seem to have this notion that
Ladakhis are perennial agitators, without going into the reasons
of the agitations that are also resolved from time to time. There
are plenty of good things about the region, be it the culture,
people, or landscape.
Ladakh, because of its geographical location, has peculiar
problems. Until the early '70s, there was hardly any
development. In some ways, we are grateful that the Chinese
intrusion took place, since it brought us in focus. It turned the
attention of the government of India to the fact that there is a
region called Ladakh, which requires to be secured; where
connectivity needs to be provided, and where the people need
to be given access to basic facilities.
In the aftermath of the 1962 war, things began to move in
Ladakh. Connectivity was provided, and as a result of the war,
the army was stationed there in large numbers. The army
provided employment and economic opportunities. Culturally,
the people of the region had a huge inferiority complex - houses
built without incorporating the traditional Ladakhi style were
called bungalows; it was only with the advent of tourism that the
traditional Ladakhi style was integrated into the designs of
buildings.
Till the time the army is stationed in Ladakh, there is a need to
make full use of the economic benefits it poses, and
simultaneously, to also expose other viable opportunities. First it
was the army that gave an impetus to the local economy; now,
tourism provides a huge opportunity for diversifying this growth.
We have a local population of approximately hundred and
seventeen thousand; and for several years now, have annually
garnered nearly two hundred thousand tourists, which implies
one and a half tourists per capita. Dispersal tourism has started
in the region with tourists exploring areas other than the
established attractions. This dispersal to all parts of the region
has, in turn, benefitted almost everyone in Ladakh. The concept
of 'home-stay' tourism, now immensely popular across India,
originally came from Ladakh. The system arose out of necessity,
since the local infrastructure could not handle the large influx of
tourists, which resulted in people resorting to live at local places.
Besides this, we still need to maintain a huge emphasis on
education, and understand why private schools with less
qualified teachers do better than government schools. The
reason is simple; in private schools, teachers are kept on a tight
leash, while government schools have no such system in place.
Ladakh must follow the example of the Kashmiri Pundit and Parsi
communities. Although their number is less, they lay a lot of
emphasis on education and consequently, get placed in higher
positions across the government and private sectors.
Tourism and the situational presence of the army in Ladakh
present limited avenues for growth. Therefore, it is crucial for the
region to grab every opportunity that comes its way, and to
develop institutions that impart good education. In this context,
students studying outside Ladakh have the added advantage of
learn more from the exposure they get. They must bring this
experience back to the region in order to help facilitate better
development and growth of local public infrastructure and
institutions.
THEME I: Politics and Governance
Tsewang Rigzin, Freelance Journalist and Councillor at Ladakh
Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh
The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC),
Leh, is a seventeen year-plus institution now. The people of
Ladakh are somewhat satisfied with this political dispensation,
as they consider it a government managed by their own people
at their doorsteps.
Before the Council was founded, all plans and policies for Ladakh
used to be formulated by leaders and bureaucrats in Srinagar
and Jammu; whodid not have much idea about the land, its life,
culture and topography. Therefore, the Hill Council grant was a
great step towards giving autonomy to the Ladakhis.
However, there are various shortcomings in the functioning of
the Hill Development Councils. Many Ladakhi leaders feel that
the LAHDC Act needs to be reviewed to bring in necessary
amendments that will further empower and strengthen the Hill
Councils. Many subjects are still not clearly defined, as to
whether they fall under the purview of the Hill Council or the
State Government. Quite often, senior bureaucrats and even
ministers of the State Government, still issue parallel instructions
to government employees of all districts, including Leh and Kargil
districts, without taking into account the authority of the Hill
Councils.
Fayaz Ahmad, M.Phil. Scholar at JNU; from Kargil