Will go on 28-day fast from August 15 if...: Sonam Wangchuk

Climate activist Soman Wangchuk announced on Sunday that he will launch a 28-day fast on Independence Day if the government does not invite Ladakh authorities for talks on demands for statehood and constitutional protection for the union territory.

In an interview with PTI, Wangchuk said the Apex Body, Leh (ABL) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) from Ladakh submitted a memorandum of demands to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Dras on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas last week.

"We did not want to push the government too much during the elections. We wanted to give them some breathing space after the polls; we were hopeful that the new government would take some concrete steps.

"We hope they will invite our leaders for talks following the submission of the memorandum. If that doesn't happen, we will launch another round of protests," he told PTI.

He said he will start a 28-day fast on August 15, when the country will celebrate its 78th Independence Day.

In March, Wangchuk went on a 21-day fast, surviving only on salt and water, to demand statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to help protect the ecologically fragile region from 'greedy' industries.

Wangchuk claimed the government withdrew its promise to provide tribal area status and full statehood to Ladakh under pressure from 'industrialists who want to exploit the resources' of the ecologically fragile region.

The noted engineer alleged that land in Ladakh is being allocated for solar power projects without the consent of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC).

"The powers of the LAHDC are being diluted and clearances are being issued from the top. That's why the people of Ladakh are scared," he said.

With around 320 clear sunny days a year and an average daily global solar radiation of 2022 kWh/m sq/annum, Ladakh is a solar power generation hotspot in India.

The cold desert also has the potential to generate 35 GW from solar energy and 100 GW from wind energy.

The government has already approved a 13GW renewable energy project, with a 7.5GW solar park, in Ladakh.

Wangchuk said he is all for clean energy but 'this should be done in a proper way'.

"Just because it is solar power, it should not come at the cost of the survival of local people and wildlife. We cannot take away their pasture lands," he said.

The environmentalist said the Modi government made several big announcements to deal with climate change but not much has happened on the ground.

"I was very hopeful. They proactively banned single-use plastics. Normally, this happens when there is pressure from people. They declared Ladakh carbon neutral. But not much is happening on the ground," he said.

He expressed displeasure over the government's climate commitments and actions.

"India has set a target of becoming a net zero economy by 2070, which is very far off. Now, there are discussions on expanding coal power usage. I am pained to see such things," he said.

Wangchuk said the government is forced to build more coal-fired power plants due to the 'mindless consumption' of electricity by the common people.

"Even renewable energy, such as solar, is not a solution to our problems if we consume electricity to live a luxurious life," he said.

At a conference organised by social enterprise Himalayan Rocket Stove (HRS), Wangchuk said the impacts of climate change are more pronounced in the Himalayan region due to its unique geography and ecology.

"We must develop and implement solutions that are not only effective but also sustainable and scalable," he added.

After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, Ladakh became a separate union territory 'without legislature'.

The Buddhist-dominated Leh district had long demanded union territory status due to alleged neglect by the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir government.

However, with the region now entirely administered by bureaucrats, many in Ladakh demand that the union territory be included in the Sixth Schedule, which provides for the formation of Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) with legislative, judicial and administrative autonomy within a state.

These councils administer areas under their jurisdiction, making laws on specific matters with the governor's assent.

They can establish village councils or courts for dispute resolution and manage facilities and services within their areas, including education and healthcare.

They also have the authority to impose taxes and regulate certain activities.

Wangchuk had previously said that statehood and constitutional protection under the Sixth Schedule would not impact defence and national security-related projects in Ladakh.

Ladakh's former MP, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal of the BJP, had also demanded that the region be included in the Sixth Schedule to safeguard the land, employment and cultural identity of the local population.

In 2019, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda promised to do 'whatever is required from a constitutional perspective to protect them'.

In September 2019, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah and Munda, recommending that Ladakh be declared a tribal area under the Sixth Schedule.