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Coming up, Ladakh Bhawan in Chandigarh
Apart from approximately 2,000 students in the city, around 300 families from Ladakh currently live in the tricity. In 1992, the community had established the Ladakh Students Association, Chandigarh, a society dedicated to the welfare and development of its people.
Catering to the significant population of Ladakh natives in the city, the UT administration has allotted 1.72 acres in Sector 33 for construction of Ladakh Bhawan.
It is to be set up at a cost of ₹62 crore.
Apart from approximately 2,000 students in the city, around 300 families from Ladakh currently live in the tricity. In 1992, the community had established the Ladakh Students Association, Chandigarh, a society dedicated to the welfare and development of its people.
The cosmopolitan culture of the city and its proximity to their hometown make Chandigarh the first choice for students from Ladakh, who began arriving in the mid-70s, specifically to pursue higher education.
Most of them adhere to Buddhism and also have a monastery in Khuda Ali Sher village, Chandigarh.
Stenzin Dawa, former programme manager at the Commonwealth Youth Programme, Asia Centre, Sector 12, said that having a Ladakh Bhawan in Chandigarh has been a long-pending demand of the natives. He added, “We are grateful to the administration, as Chandigarh is like a second home for us.”
Space allotted for NIA, ED offices
The UT has also allocated two acres in Industrial Area, Phase-11, for a dedicated branch office of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). A Letter of Intent (LoI) to this effect has been issued to the agency. The cost of the land is ₹68 crore.
Sources said the Chandigarh branch of NIA would be headed by an inspector general (IG) rank officer, with one deputy inspector general (DIG) and two superintendents of police (SPs), justifying their demand for a substantial built-up area.
The UT has also allotted 1.73 acres to the Directorate of Enforcement in Sector 38 (West) at a cost of ₹59 crore.
A letter of intent has been issued to the directorate, and construction is expected to commence soon.
Moreover, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has requested additional land from the UT administration to expand its office in Sector 30. This demand comes at a time when the city is becoming a preferred choice for central government security and investigation agencies to establish their offices. The UT is also in the process of allocating land to the Central Industrial Security Force and Sashastra Seema Bal in different parts of the city.
In a media interaction last month, UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit stated, “We are providing land to most of the central agencies and also for the Ladakh Bhawan in the city.”
