The UT government is expected to show seriousness in providing the much needed air connectivity and mitigate the sufferings of the people of Kargil district, who have been badly hit on this score as winter sets.

This year due to early snowfall there is great apprehension  of early closure of Zojila and  Srinagar-Leh highway. The road was expected to remain open till at least  ending of December as usual but early snowfall in Zoji-La and its surrounding areas has badly hit the crucial the stocking in entire Ladakh region.

The stocking position particularly of food stuffs in the land-locked region has  disrupted causing  expected inconvenience to vast majority of people. During winter no other communication is possible to Ladakh except air services which can provide succour to the people for travel to nearby  Jammu and Srinagar.

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As always after much hue and cry, the government consider an air courier service, courtesy, the Indian Air Force (IAF) who run twice a week AN32 air service between Kargil and the two nearby cities of Srinagar and Jammu for the convenience of the people on subsidized rates. Even this arrangement falls short for the needs of the people and additional services are requested time and again by the District Authorities.

The Government of India should make alternate arrangements for providing air service to the people of Kargil not only during winters, when it remains cut off from the rest world but also during summers when there is huge influx of tourists. This will provide a permanent and dependable communication facility to the people round the year.

This will  also go a long way in providing the much-needed relief to the people particularly patients, senior citizens and students during the winter months. In fact similar arrangement of helicopter service to far flung areas in region should also be operated as assured from time to time.