Ladakh home department lifts requirement of Inner Line Permit; entire UT open for tourism

As India celebrated the completion of two years since the abrogation of Article 370, Ladakh Home Department on Friday lifted the requirement of inner line permit required to travel the Union Territory (UT) for all Indian nationals including domestic tourists and local residents. Ladakh Home Department, in its official notification, directed the Superintendents and Deputy Superintendents stating that 'residents of the protected area' can visit other protected areas 'without any permit'. 

Ladakh Police gets Tourist Wing, to address issues faced by tourists

In order to boost the tourism sector, Ladakh Police's Tourist Wing was launched by Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur on Friday. As per the officials reported by PTI, it will deal with the issues faced by the tourists visiting the union territory. The personnel will also ensure environment-friendly activities by the tourists. Speaking on the occasion, Mathur said with the help of technology, the tourist wing of the Ladakh Police will handle rescue missions and other medical emergencies faced by tourists.

The new wing will be trained suitably to be able to create a flawless communication system with various tourism agencies, civil administration, health departments, and other stakeholders for effective coordination in the face of an emergency, he said.

A balance between assisting the tourists and adherence to legal aspects will be the key element defining the successful operation of this new tourist police wing, the LG said.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury-led PAC Parliamentary Panel to visit Kashmir & Ladakh

A parliamentary panel led by the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will go on a five days visit to Kashmir and Ladakh. The panel will visit the Union Territory to learn about the situation and would also meet with the local leaders. The upcoming five-day trip will be the first time parliamentarians of various parties, including the Opposition, visits Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. 

Abrogation of Article 370

Article 370 was a temporary provision that granted special recognition to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The article, under Part 21 of the Indian Constitution administered "temporary, transitional and special provisions" in terms of autonomy and stability over internal administration of the state from 1954 to October 2019.

The Government of India declared the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir as "inoperative" on August 5, 2019. The government mentioned that Article 370 had been subjected to amendments from time to time without any modifications and exceptions, thus, it was deemed fruitful to abrogate the special status with an aim to resolve the long-standing conflicts and several internal socio-political issues of the erstwhile state. The President of India issued an order under the power of Article 370 superseding the pre-existing 1954 presidential order which nullified the special status. While many national and regional parties supported the move, many opposition parties in Kashmir valley reacted with dissent.

(Image Credits: AP)