Call for direct civilian flights from Kargil | India News
SRINAGAR: Kargil local authorities have requested the Center to resume civilian flights, saying connectivity is severely affected during winter when surface routes are closed.The demand was raised by Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil (LAHDC) Chief Executive Councilor (CEC) Mohammad Zafar Akhun and Ladakh MP Mohammad Hanifa in a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Thursday.“The air links will boost tourism and help the army personnel immensely. Soldiers lose three to four days of vacation while traveling through Leh and waiting to be deployed,” Akhun said, adding that lack of direct flights has deterred countless potential visitors.Akhun stressed that air connectivity is vital for the region, where people now have to travel five to eight hours by road to reach the nearest airports in Leh and Srinagar.“No doubt the Zojila tunnel will improve road connectivity, but Kargil still needs a dedicated air link. Many areas in the Northeast are served by small aircraft. Flights from Kargil to New Delhi and from Kargil to Srinagar can take off from the existing (defence) runways with small aircraft. It could pave the way for full air connectivity and a full-fledged civilian airport,” he said.In talks with Shah, Akhun and Hanifa also insisted on speeding up five hydropower projects and wanted two new districts of Cone and Sugar-Chiktan. “These are among the most populous and oldest sub-divisions in Kargil and meet all the criteria required for creating districts,” Akhun said.The two should be included in an upcoming notification about the five new districts announced by the Union Home Ministry in August 2024. These are Ladakh, Zanskar and Drass in Kargil and Sham, Nubra and Changthang in Leh.Akhun and Hanifa also wanted a 200-bed hospital for Kargil to ease the pressure on the existing 100-bed district facility, an engineering college and an agricultural university. Another key demand was a dedicated India Reserve Battalion (IRB) for Kargil to enforce law and order and provide employment.Akhun said the response to Home Minister Shah’s demands, including air connectivity, was “very positive”.
