Unification of Aryan Valley sought during Ladakh Chief Secretary’s visit to Darchik

The unification of the Aryan Valley areas spread across Leh and Kargil districts was demanded on Wednesday during a visit by Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra to Darchik village.

Nominated Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil, Gurmit Rigzen, raised several key issues and submitted a memorandum seeking the merger of Aryan Valley villages currently falling in Leh and Kargil into a single district. He also demanded the establishment of a Buddhist Sarai at the Kargil headquarters for residents of the Aryan Valley and the construction of a Tribal Model Hostel in the region to strengthen educational infrastructure.

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The Aryan Valley, home to a distinct indigenous community, comprises four villages—Dah and Hanu in Leh district, and Garkon and Darchik in Kargil district.

The Chief Secretary visited the Cultural Centre in Darchik village, where he interacted with local stakeholders, villagers, and various delegations.
The local representatives briefed him about the village’s rich cultural heritage, history, unique identity, community life, and traditional food practices.

Other demands raised by the villagers included establishment of an Aryan Cultural Centre in Leh and creation of a separate Panchayat for Darchik.

While addressing the gathering, the Chief Secretary expressed happiness and pride in witnessing the rich diversity of culture and language in the region. He appreciated the local community for preserving their unique cultural heritage and traditions.

Kundra also visited the Kargil Airport, where he inspected the existing airport infrastructure.

The Commanding Officer briefed him on various operational and infrastructural aspects of the airport.

The Chief Secretary directed the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, to submit a detailed report along with a map highlighting the current status of the airport and the scope for possible boundary expansion.

Kundra visited several strategically important and tourism-related locations near the Line of Control (LOC), including Hundurman View Point, Sangam View Point and the Indian Army’s Post-43 located beyond Kharul.
At Hunderman, the Chief Secretary visited the LOC View Point, which is being developed under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 Scheme.

He directed the Chief Engineer, PWD-Ladakh, to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for road connectivity from Hunderman Broq to the proposed LOC View Point while emphasizing that construction of the road should be taken up on priority to improve accessibility and promote border tourism.

At the Sangam View Point, the Chief Secretary directed the concerned departments to expedite works and complete Phase-I on war footing prior to the completion of the LOC View Point project.

Later, the Chief Secretary visited the Indian Army’s Post-43 beyond Kharul, where he interacted with Brigadier Ashish Joshi, Station Commander of the 121 Infantry Brigade, other Army Officers and personnel. He lauded their dedication and assured them of full cooperation and necessary support from the civil administration.