Engineer turned education reformer and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has started his long march on foot from Leh to national capital Delhi on Sunday to put pressure the Centre to resume the stalled dialogue with the leadership of Ladakh on their four-point agenda. The march is to highlight the four-point agenda, that includes statehood for Ladakh , extension of Sixth Schedule, early recruitment along with a Public Service Commission for Ladakh, and Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.
A mechanical engineer by education, Sonam Wangchuk has been working in the field of education reform for more than 30 years. In 1988 he founded SECMOL (Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh), which aimed to bring reforms in the government school system in the trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh, India.
The ‘Delhi Chalo Padyatra’ is being organised by the Leh Apex Body (LAB), which, along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), is jointly spearheading an agitation over the past four years in support of statehood, extension of the Constitution’s 6th schedule, early recruitment process along with a public service commission for Ladakh, and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.
The talks between Ladakh representatives and the central government ended in March without any concrete outcome.
