The Governor administration in Jammu & Kashmir has received consent from the Indian Air Force authorities to vacate tracts of land in twin districts of leh and Kargil in ladakh region for expansion of civilian airport and development of residential colonies.
The proposal has been under discussion since November 2013 and two Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mufti Muhammad Sayeed have discussed it with top defence authorities during their tenures.
The latest assurance came in a meeting between Divisonal Commissioner Kashmir Asghar Hassan Samoon and the officials of IAF, Airport Authority of India limited (AII) and civil administration here.
ladakh is under the administrative control of Divisional Commissioner and in absence of a civilian Government, the provincial head of bureaucracy is holding top level meetings.
Samoon was informed that the State Government has identified land in lieu of the existing IAF airbase in leh while the district officials of Kargil informed that in exchange for an alternate site, the Army has agreed to vacate a large tract of land presently under its control, which will be used for the expansion of the town.
The issue had come up during the Civil-Military liaison (CMl) meeting held on September 29, 2015 between the then Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed and Army’s top brass in J&K headed by Northern Commander lt Gen HS Hooda.
leh and Kargil towns are governed by ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils, which are consistently pursuing vacation of army from certain areas.
The CMl had constituted committees to negotiate between army and civilian authorities on the issue of 1,82,865 kanals of land with the Army in leh and expansion plans in Khurbathang area of Kargil for developing civilian colonies.
The IAF officials told Samoon that the alternate site offered by the state government in leh has been examined by experts and they are ready to take over if the state government finalises the deal.
The Divisional Commissioner was also informed that the modalities are being worked out to shift the existing airbase in leh to Airport Authority of India which will expand it for civilian purposes.
Observers say that the readiness of IAF to shift base in leh and Kargil is one of the CBMs that Centre might be offering to the Peoples Democratic Party to convince it to take over reins of the state once again. The PDP complains that the central government was not forthcoming in fulfilling promises, which included vacation of land occupied by army at several locations in Kashmir, Jammu and ladakh regions.