India’s monuments and heritage need to recognise it’s civilisational history
As chairman of the National Monuments Authority, I had an opportunity to flag some anomalies and suggest changes in the way we look at preservation
Jammu and Kashmir BJP veteran and former deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta has been appointed the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh by the Centre Monday. In an interview with The Indian Express, Gupta speaks on a range of issues, from the Union Home Ministry’s “in-principle approval” for formation of five new districts in Ladakh to the demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule for the Union Territory (UT). Excerpts:
*What is your perspective on the current situation in Ladakh?
We all know that there has been continuous discrimination with Ladakh during successive J&K governments and it was due to this discrimination that the people there used to demand a UT and Hill Councils for them. Keeping in view the hardships faced by people in view of their far-off and inaccessible geography, the Central government granted them Hill Councils and later the UT status following reorganisation of the erstwhile J & K state post August 5, 2019.
There had been no degree colleges, universities and adequate health infrastructure in Ladakh. The students had to travel to Jammu to continue their studies. However, after 2014, the BJP government at the Centre has been constantly working to carry forward the agenda of all-round development there. The Home Ministry has approved in principle five new districts taking their total number to seven in Ladakh, but still people there have many demands.
*How do you look at Ladakh as a separate entity from J&K?
You go anywhere and have a look into the history, it is not strange. Once Maharashtra and Gujarat used to be one, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh were one, and Jharkhand was part of Bihar state. I feel that the pace of development has accelerated after the creation of these new states.
Likewise, Ladakh being a far-off place, the administration of the erstwhile state was not willing to go and stay there. Even its officers did not go there to serve the local people, but they went there only to spend time. Now, with the creation of new districts and Hill Councils, things will move further, leading to a network of roads, improved health infrastructure, education and so on. The day will not be far off when we will take the train also to Ladakh. After August 5, 2019, when the J&K Reorganisation Bill was brought in Parliament and Ladakh was made a separate UT, a new era of development started there.
