Deputy Chief Minister, Dr. Nirmal Singh, today said that the Government has undertaken several measures for speeding up the developmental initiatives undertaken in Ladakh which would ensure that urban and rural landscape of the region gets a flip and people get quality and modern facilities of urban living and also the tourist activities of the area are boosted.The Deputy Chief Minister was speaking after inaugurating the beautification project of Leh Bazaar which was completed under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small & Medium Town (UIDSSMT). Minister for Ladakh Affairs & Cooperatives Tsering Dorjey, Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC, Leh Dr. Sonam Dawa Lonpo, Executive Councilors, MLA Leh Nawang Rigzin Jora, Councilors and District Development Commissioner, Leh Parasana Ramaswamy were present on the occasion.The function was held during the Leh festival in which several cultural troops and contingents participated and made their way through Leh Town Deputy Chief Minister leading the procession.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that Ladakh forms one of the major tourist destinations of the tourists coming from different parts of the globe as well as country. He said that several new initiatives have also been undertaken to upgrade and augment the tourist infra in the region in addition to other schemes and programmes being implemented there.He said that the power infra of the whole region is being augmented by introduction of several new schemes which would ensure that the people of the region get round the clock supply of electric power. He said that under Housing and Urban Development sector necessary measures have already been undertaken so that new and modern urban living facilities are provided to the people living there.The Ladakh festival is an annual festival organised by J&K Tourism Department, in association with local stakeholders, communities and District Administration of Leh. The main aim of this festival is to revitalize and bestow a spectacle of Ladakh's deep-rooted culture, traditions and heritage for the world to admire and enjoy. The festival provides a wonderful opportunity for the tourists to experience the culture and lifestyle of the people in Ladakh.
In the 4-day long celebrations, various events and programmes will be held such as music concerts, Mask dances, Handicraft and Food Stall exhibition, Archery competition, Polo matches and Thanka exhibitions Mr. Tsering Dorjey gave an encyclopedic picture of Ladakh highlighting the role of rich cultural heritage, panoramic landscape, mountains, rivers, monasteries, monuments and most importantly the friendly and welcoming nature of Ladkahi people in attracting tourists from across the world.He made a special mention about the increasing number of adventure tourists in Ladakh saying that Ladakh is the haven for adventure tourism and counting the adventure sports like mountaineering, rock-climbing, cycling, rafting, biking and Chadar- Track he said the top class facility of hotels, guest houses and transport facility of Ladakh is comparable to any famous tourist destination in the world.Earlier, in his welcoming address the Chief Executive Councilor, LAHDC, Leh Dr. Sonam Dawa said that Council is planning to explore various tourist hotspots keeping in mind the immense potential of adventure and winter tourism in Ladakh.