Umer Maqbool 
Srinagar: Ahead of talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government regarding demands of statehood and other constitutional safeguards, the elected representatives of the Ladakh are up in arms over massive cuts in funding of the two Autonomous Hill Councils.
These councils are the highest elected bodies of the Union Terrioty which is being run directly by New Delhi through its lieutenant governor and bureaucrats since its dismemberment from Jammu & Kashmir. The bifurcation also resulted in Ladakhis losing exclusive rights over jobs and land in the erstwhile state.
Funding cut enrages elected representatives
In a letter accessed by The Wire, the administration of Ladakh has communicated to the councils that their capital expenditure budget (development funds) has been reduced by Rs 110 crore each.
As per the communique, the capital expenditure of each council has been reduced to Rs 234 from Rs 344 crore after the Union government revised the UT’s total capital expenditure from Rs 3,076 crore to 2,100 crore.
Expressing helplessness over its inability to keep the funding intact for the current financial year or enhance it for the next one, the Ladakh’s Planning Development and Monitoring Department has written to both the hill councils that it had proposed to increase their capital expenditure to Rs 360 crore for the next financial year but couldn’t do so due to the revised allocations conveyed by the UT’s finance department based on the Union home ministry’s communique.
The reduction in funding has enraged the elected representatives, who argue that it could severely hit development projects in the region.
“This would affect work being executed in our constituencies. They have reduced the budget of the councils despite it being mere 5-6 % of the UT’s total budget,” Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil, Dr. Muhammad Jaffar Akhone told The Wire.
The CEC, who has written to Union home minister Amit Shah and LG Ladakh, BD Mishra over the matter, said the council also passed a resolution on the matter on Wednesday( November 27) asking the Union government to reconsider its decision.
The text of the resolution was not released when this report was filed.
Leader of opposition in the Leh council, Tsering Namgyal called it an “atrocious” move aimed at “disempowering” elected representatives.
“They have imposed a heavy cut on funding of the councils despite our ability to spend 90-95% of the budget allocated to us,” he said, adding that this is grave injustice to the people of Ladakh and its representatives.
He said that the Union government’s promises about empowering of hill councils and liberal funding have proved to be “jumlas.”
“One on hand, the Government of India is talking about strengthening these councils but on the other, they (Union Government and Ladakh administration) are resorting to such moves to cripple us financially,” he said.
The capital expenditure budget of the hill councils has been reduced ahead of talks between the leadership of Ladakh and the Union government on December 3 in New Delhi.
The leaders from Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) – the two groups spearheading agitation for Statehood, VIth Schedule, two parliamentary seats and a dedicated Public Service Commission for the UT – would hold talks with representatives of Union government led by Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai.
Amid growing concerns over reduction in funding, LG Mishra met Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi and requested for status quo in funding for the region’s overall development in the current fiscal year.
“He also informed her of the repercussions of the cut which could impact the ongoing development projects, especially the ongoing project works of both the hill councils of Leh and Kargil, and hamper the overall development of the region,” an official spokesman said.
Union government’s promises
In the past five years, since Ladakh was carved out of J&K, the Union government has repeatedly promised development in Ladakh.
On August 9, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the development of the people of Ladakh is the special responsibility of the Union government.
In her budget speech of 2023-24 on February 01, 2023, Sitharaman had said that there has been sustained focus on development of Ladakh, J&K and the Northeast.
In January this year, Union minister of state Jitendra Singh said that the Union government has accorded very high priority to the development of Ladakh and welfare of the local population including Buddhists and tribals.