'Close Schools & Open Liquor Bars': Sonam Wangchuk Slams Ladakh Administration Over Notice Directing HIAL To Halt Activities At Desert Flower School

Leh: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Wednesday criticised the Ladakh administration over its notice asking the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning (HIAL) not to undertake any further activities at Desert Flower School in Phyang until the matter is decided by the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

In a post on X, Wangchuk described the notice as a "shahi farmaan" and wrote, "Close schools and open liquor bars", questioning the administration's decision.

He also urged media organisations that had carried the press conference by the Lieutenant Governor's administration to give space to his response, referring to India's position on the Global Press Freedom Index.

"Let's hope that the media houses that carried the presser from the LG Administration so eagerly will also be just and fair enough to carry our response too and prove to the nation that India is still not so poor on the Global Press Freedom Index," he wrote.

Wangchuk further defended HIAL, saying that the institution's work had received recognition from India's Parliamentary Committee on Education, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and Time magazine.

"There's a lot of raita spread on internet/news about our school. India's Parliamentary Committee on Education recommended HIAL to be replicated all over India. Victoria & Albert Museum in London has a permanent display on it. Time Magazine featured its projects in TIME 100 Climate Solutions. And yet, they want it closed!" he said.

The Ladakh administration on Tuesday issued a notice to HIAL, co-founded by Sonam Wangchuk and Gitanjali J Angmo, asking it not to undertake any further activities at Desert Flower School in Phyang until the matter is decided by the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

In a notice issued by the Office of the Tehsildar, Leh, to HIAL Founder and CEO Gitanjali J Angmo, the administration said that classes and other activities were being started at Desert Flower School without obtaining proper consent, clearances or necessary approval from the concerned authorities.

The notice stated that Angmo had earlier written to the Deputy Commissioner, Leh, on September 22, seeking a No Objection Certificate (NOC) or clearance for the proposed members of the Managing Committee of Desert Flower School under the HIAL ecosystem.

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