NEW DELHI: Eastern Ladakh will soon have South East Asia’s first night sky sanctuary, Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh announced on Sunday. Singh said that the sanctuary was being set up with the help of Indian Institute of Astrophysics Bengaluru, which is affiliated to the Department of Science and Technology under the Government of India.
“At a time when the country is celebrating the success of Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 solar mission, this Dark Sky Reserve, being among only the 15 or 16 of its kind in the world, will fascinate stargazers,” said the minister. He added that a tripartite MoU was signed among the Ladakh administration, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics for launching the Dark Sky Reserve. He said the site will have activities to help boost local tourism and economy through interventions of Science and Technology.
Singh was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the exhibition ‘Ladakh’s Pride’ being held to mark the fourth anniversary of the establishment of the UT of Ladakh. The Dark Sky Reserve will be located at Hanle village in Eastern Ladakh as a part of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. Spread over 1,073 square kilometres, the night sky reserve is located adjacent to the Indian Astronomical Observatory, the second-highest optical telescope in the world, of Indian Institute of Astrophysics at Hanle at an elevation of 4,500 metres.
Singh complimented the LAHDC-Leh for organising Ladakh’s Pride outside Ladakh and enumerated the steps being taken to support the sale of local food, medicine and other products. The exhibition is organised by LAHDC Leh at the initiative of chief executive councillor Tashi Gyalson. It showcases GI-tagged treasures of Ladakh, including sea buckthorn, Raktsey Karpo apricots, Ladakh wood carvings and Pashmina wool.
According to Singh, the CSIR in the Union Ministry of Science and Technology is promoting ‘Leh Berry’,which is an exclusive food product of the cold desert. The minister said that commercial cultivation of three medicinal plants is also being promoted at a height of above 15,000 feet. This includes ‘sanjeevani booti’, locally known as ‘sola’.