Sonam Wangchuk hails 'responsive' Central govt for addressing concerns over Leh airport

“Cannot imagine a more responsive government”, hailed Ladakh-based engineer & education reformist Sonam Wangchuk while expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for paying heed to his call for help regarding Leh airport. Just earlier this month Wangchuk had called on PM Modi to address the situation at Leh airport which was not adhering to the vision of ‘Carbon Neutral Ladakh’ and ‘Carbon Neutral India’. Just weeks later, the Ladakh-based engineer tweeted about he met with a PMO’s team led by Deputy secretary Mangesh Ghildiyal.

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Wangchuk who is famously also known as ‘the real-life Phunsukh Wangdu from 3 Idiots', said that the team headed by Ghildiyal landed in Leh and inspected the new airport. He informed that the team spent at least four hours with the Himalayan Insitute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HAIL). The meeting was set up to find answers to ‘Carbon Neutral Ladakh’. 

In the follow-up tweet, Wangchuk said that the answer for carbon-neutral Ladakh is “blowing in the wind”. He further stated that it did not need much to convince the PMO team about solar heating. 

Wangchuk sought PM Modi’s help

The 29 November tweets by Wangchuk came after he posted a 2-minute-long video, seeking PM Modi’s help regarding the ongoing construction of the Leh airport. He highlighted the architectural flaws in the constriction and flagged how Leh airport has no elements of ‘traditional architecture’. The Leh-based engineer had quoted PM Modi’s speech on Independence Day 2020 to state that the airport will not be an example for the world’s carbon-neutral and solar-heated airport. 

According to him, Leh airport would have been a ‘joke’ for people who know how solar heating works. Just last year, the Prime Minister had said that the efforts were ongoing to make the Union Territory of Ladakh a carbon-neutral region. In a tweet earlier this month, the engineer said “Please save Leh airport” and added that “We can act now or regret later!”

(IMAGE: PTI/Facebook)