HP’S boundary dispute with J&K: Thakur complains to Amit Shah

SHIMLA: Fearing an escalation of the boundary dispute with newly announced Union Territory of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday sought the intervention of Union home minister Amit Shah to get the matter settled amicably, maybe before October 31 – when Ladakh will become UT formally.

Jai Ram Thakur raised the matter in the meeting of the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) held at Chandigarh. Amit Shah presided over the meeting, also attended by Chief Ministers, Ministers of Northern region and senior officers of the GOI and Northern States.

The dispute relates to certain encroachments done inside the territory of Himachal Pradesh in the tribal district of Lahaul-spiti, bordering Jammu and Kashmir state.

Only recently, Himachal Pradesh Director General of Police SR Mardi was told by the Chief Minister to visit villages near Darcha on the Shinkula pass, near Sarchu to find-out factual position so that matter could be taken up with the Leh administration.

Reports say traders from Kargil side have set-up their shops the area, which belongs to Himachal Pradesh.

Local residents have also complained encroachments into roughly 20 km of Himachal area by the traders from the neighbouring state.

At the NZC meeting, the Chief Minister said, “The district administration Leh-ladakh has made unauthorised encroachments in Lahaul-spiti district in the territory of Himachal Pradesh. Union Home Ministry should take steps for an early settlement of this issue as it has already created some tensions in the areas.”

Some skirmishes between the traders from both sides had already taken place and the issue had remained unresolved despite state government making efforts. One reason was stated to be the absence of any demarcation of the boundaries between the two states.

Says Ram Lal Markandy, local BJP MLA and now cabinet minister “the traders from Leh had put-up tents and shops inside our territory after the snow was cleared in May-june. This results in conflict with our traders who are not allowed to do business during the tourists seasons.”

During earlier Congress government also, then MLA Ravi Thakur –who was also vice-chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, had vociferously raised the matter with the Centre.

“I had been raising this issue quite aggressively. Darcha is my home panchayat. I had even suggested the government to ask for boundary maps from the Surveyor General of India so that actual position was known to both side,” he recalled.