Ladakh Apex Body announces protest march to China border

Srinagar, April 13 (IANS) Ladakh Apex Body (LAB), the key organisation of protesters in the Union Territory (UT), have again announced that its leaders will conduct a march to China border to draw attention to their demands. Last week, LAB had called off the border march due to imposed restrictions by the authorities, aiming to avoid direct confrontation with the administration.Speaking to the media, Sonam Wangchuk, a climate activist and LAB leader, announced that a small group of leaders would embark on a march to Changthang, traversing villages to raise awareness about problems faced by the people of the region.Wangchuk highlighted concerns over the allocation of 40,000 acres of land to industrialists for solar power projects, further shrinking the already limited pasturing area in Ladakh.He cited Union Home Minister Amit Shah's assurance that "not a single inch of land was taken by China" as a reason for expecting the administration's cooperation for the march.Wangchuk said that the march aims to convey a message to the people in Ladakh and outside Ladakhi people are losing their homeland in the absence of any protection under Schedule Six of the Constitution.He added that LAB decided to continue the ongoing struggle through chain hunger strikes and protests without affecting the farming activities and tourism which has started picking up with the onset of spring.While the exact date of the protest march remains undisclosed, Wangchuk assured it would happen soon.LAB, supported by Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), have been carrying protests for past four years.--IANSsq/sd/kvd

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