The Leh Apex Body (LAB) is planning a five-day foot march to Skang Chu-Thang near the Himachal Pradesh border beginning April 17 to meet shepherds who are reportedly losing pasture area to large industrial developments, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk said on Sunday.
About 20 protesters will go up to Changthang near the Chinese border if the authorities did not stop them, he said.
The LAB, together with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), has for several years been leading an agitation for Ladakh's statehood and inclusion in the Constitution's Sixth Schedule, which will allow creation of autonomous district and regional councils (ADCs and ARCs) in the state. These elected bodies will have the power to administrate tribal areas.
Criticising "some people in Delh and," referring to them as "anti-nationals or Chinese and CIA agents," Wangchuk added that march was being organised to "take the pain of the people" of Ladakh to the government and remind it to stick to its commitments.
The LAB had previously called for a border (Pashmina) march on April 7 to highlight the distress of farmers who were reportedly losing ideal pasture land to massive industrial plants in the south and "Chinese encroachments" in the north.
It was called off after officials issued prohibitory orders and reduced internet speeds to 2G.
Meanwhile, in a video address on X, Wangchuk said, "Ladakh is a very sensitive place surrounded by borders and we can understand that our announcement of 10,000 people moving to the border might have caused concern to the government over disturbance of peace.
"If that was the concern, we respect it and have decided to go by foot instead of vehicles in a small batch up to the Himachal border within Ladakh to meet the shepherds who we are hearing have lost a vast chunk of their pastures to industrialists," he said.
Paying rich tributes to BR Ambedkar for providing the country with a constitution that grants rights to all sections of society as well as freedom of speech, Wangchuk said the march would now begin on April 17, coinciding with Ram Navami.
He hoped no one would object to the march as it was taking place within Indian territory.
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