On Indo-China border, model village to come up in Ladakh for nomads

SRINAGAR: Ladakh Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the first model border village at Chumur, located at an altitude of 16,700 feet along the India-China border.

Officials said the first-of-its-kind project in the region will focus on infrastructure development, employment and livelihood generation, all-weather connectivity and greater civilian-defence integration. The initiative aims to facilitate a transition from a largely nomadic way of life to a secure and permanent settlement in the remote frontier region.

Chumur has 24 households with a population of 91 people, who are all engaged with goat rearing for pashmina and its production.

Under the program, families in these villages will be provided with climate-resilient, south-facing passive solar houses, designed to maximize solar heat gain and protect them from harsh winters, when the temperatures drop to -35 degrees, a Ladakh government statement said.

Each household will receive a residential unit with an attached bathroom, an additional room suitable for homestay activities, kitchen garden space, livestock sheds and dedicated fodder storage facilities. These houses are expected to be completed by September this year, subject to weather conditions.

Officials said that to strengthen food security and livelihoods, a 90 x 27 feet commercial greenhouse will be established with the support of Defence Institute of High-Altitude Research (DIHAR) for year-round vegetable cultivation. The produce, they said, will cater to local needs and supply nearby defence establishments, including Army and ITBP, creating a sustainable market for the villagers, while promoting stronger civil-defence cooperation. “A central service core comprising a school, primary health centre (PHC), community hall, parks, community café and tourist interpretation centre (TIC) will provide essential services and strengthen social and economic life in the village,” they added.

A total of 10 such border villages will be developed in the first phase of Vibrant Village Program.

Addressing people on the occasion, Saxena said, “Chumur, owing to its strategic location along the India–China border, has been selected as Ladakh’s first model border village, under the vibrant village program, a dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has consistently emphasised that border villages are not the “last villages” but the “first villages” of India.