The Ladakh innovator and educationist Sonam Wangchuk is on 21-day climate fast to demand 6th Schedule status, statehood and conservation of cold desert of Ladakh. Wanghcuk started his fast two days after the March 4 talks between the Ladakh leaders and the MHA failed to make any headway on grant of statehood and 6th Schedule status to Ladakh to protect the region’s fragile ecology and culture. The Ladakh parties are also demanding separate Lok Sabha seats for Kargil and Leh districts. “21 days of fast happens to be the longest fast that father of nation Mahatma Gandhi kept for the independence of India. I want to follow the same peaceful path that Mahatma Gandhi followed,” he said.
Police conduct census of shops and hotels
After households, the police is conducting a ‘census’ of shops and hotels in Kashmir and seeking personal details of the shopkeepers, hoteliers and their employees.
They are distributing a “Census Form” in Srinagar and other parts of the Valley which requires personal details such as their qualification, profession, Aadhar number, mobile phone numbers. The hoteliers have been asked to share the details about the rooms available in their hotels. Police is already conducting a census of households and have sought personal details of families including latitude-longitude of the property and CCTV cameras, if any, installed.
Seaplane services likely to begin in Kashmir
In order to boost tourism in Kashmir, the administration is mulling the introduction of Seaplane services connecting Dal Lake in Srinagar to Manasbal in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal. The Mumbai-based operator Maritime Energy Heli Air Services Pvt Ltd (MEHAIR) is likely to take the role of the operator for the project. The security aspects are under consideration and tourism stakeholders hope that it would significantly boost tourism in the region. Initially, the MEHAIR may deploy a single-engine Seaplane with a capacity of nine passengers and two pilots in Kashmir. The Seaplane service will be yet another attraction for the tourists visiting the picturesque place.
Fayaz wani
Our correspondent in Jammu and Kashmir
fayazwani123@gmail.com