(TibetanReview.net, Aug30’21) – Housing remains the biggest problems among Tibetans living in Ladakh, Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has said Aug 29 after concluding his first tour of a Tibetan refugee community region after assuming office in May this year. He has said a holistic approach was needed to solve their problems.
“There were many who expressed their problems with regard to land. In Leh and Choglamsar, about 55 families are currently facing housing problems and are residing in rented homes. Some families in particular are truly poor,” The CTA’s Tibet.net Aug 29 quoted him as saying.
He has noted that while some of the problems were related to agricultural land, there were people in the nomadic communities who had expressed a desire to have a community home for their stay.
He has said these issues required a lasting solution by studying the situation from different angles, not just temporary fixes and he had taken full notes of them.
He has also spoken about development projects to accommodate the aspirations of the local Tibetan youth.
A farewell dinner hosted for the Sikyong by local Tibetan offices and centres was also attended by the chairman of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, President of Ladakh monastery association, president of Ladakh Muslim association Ashraf Ali Barcha, well-known Ladakhi engineer Sonam Wangchuk, and others, said the CTA in its report.