Contribution of Army, local citizens in India's security is commendable: Birla

New Delhi [India], August 28 (ANI): During his visit to the Pangong Lake area, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday expressed gratitude to the Army personnel and the local citizens in Ladakh and said that no amount of appreciation is enough for their contribution in the service and security of the country.
On a question asked by ANI about the sensitivity and security of this area, Birla said that the area is completely safe from the point of view of security. "Even after natural calamities and difficulties, they are working here to protect the country. Here the army personnel are performing the duty of protecting the border even in minus 35 degree temperature, I congratulate them for their bravery," he added while saying that the villagers and the army personnel are committed to protect the country together, and they are doing so with determination.
Om Birla is the first speaker of Lok Sabha who has visited Ladakh and Pangong region.
During his visit, Birla expressed happiness at the work done by the Panchayatis in the remote border villages of Pangong area.
Birla said, "After having a word with the representatives of Gram Panchayat, a small unit of democracy, I have come to realise that India's democracy is strong even in this far-flung border area. The villagers here have also accepted that the governance system improves with democracy. They have also given a memorandum regarding their problems, which will be discussed. I hope that the problems of the village will be resolved in the coming time.'
Speaking to ANI, a local MP Jamyang Singe Namgyal, who accompanied Birla to the Ladakh region, said that the world has no doubts about China's intentions regarding this area while mentioning the need for the development of the sector.
"The entire world knows about China's intentions but what we want is the development of the area; to have improved education facilities and better health care. Our people here should get priority in government jobs because when they will start settling here, our border security will automatically get stronger," Namgyal said.
"If people leave from the village due to lack of facilities, then our defence line, which common citizens make, will be weakened. The government intents to set up all necessary infrastructure here so that the people start settling here and strengthen the border security," he added.
Further, he said that Ladakh's Lok Sabha constituency and UT is 60 thousand square kilometer. "There are also many natural challenges here. The area is inaccessible, the distance from one village to another is very far. In this area, those who live near Pangong, there is always a challenge regarding telecommunication and road infrastructure. This is an important place from the point of view of security," he said.
Lauding the efforts of the Central government, Namgyal said, "Today this is a very safe area under the leadership of Prime Minister and Defense Minister. Many tourists are coming here and the local people are also able to earn some money in the area. We would like this area to flourish from the point of view of tourism and make it the best tourist destination in the whole world."
It is worth mentioning that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who came to participate in the Parliamentary Outreach Program for Empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions, met all the representatives of the Ladakh region and expressed confidence that this region would become an example in the country in terms of the strength of democracy. (ANI)