Chief Minister Pema Khandu treks 24 km for 11 hours to meet people

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu who is currently touring his home constituency Mukto in Tawang district, had to climb mountains and walk through forest areas to meet a nomadic tribe in a remote village of his constituency recently.

He trekked for 11 hours at a height of 14,500 feet to cover a distance of over 24-km to reach Luguthang village.

"It was an arduous journey while crossing Karpu-La (16,000 ft) to Luguthang (14,500 ft)," Khandu tweeted after returning to Tawang on Thursday.

Situated at a height of around 14,500 feet above sea level, Luguthang is a nomadic village with about 50 people and 10 households.

The Chief Minister during his visit to Luguthang convened a review meeting to take stock of the status of flagship schemes being implemented in the village.

"Had a review meeting with Luguthang villagers to ensure that benefits of every flagship programme reaches the last man standing in forward areas," Khandu tweeted.

The journey to the village is, however, a mesmerising one as one has to cross the eye-catching Karpu-La Mountain (16,000 feet) and several enchanting natural lakes that fall on the way to the hamlet.

The village, which is situated around 97 km away from the district headquarters of Tawang, is located in Mukto Assembly constituency that Khandu represents.

The Chief Minister, along with Tawang MLA Tsering Tashi, villagers and monks of Tawang monastery attended the consecration of 'Jangchup Stupa' the next day.

The stupa has been erected in the name of Khandu's father and former chief minister Dorjee Khandu, who died in a helicopter crash near Luguthang Village, while returning from Tawang to Itanagar on April 30, 2011.

"The Chief Minister spent two nights in a house before trekking back his return journey, sources from Tawang informed.

Luguthang is mostly inhabited by Brokpas, a nomadic community who rears yaks and move around the higher Himalayas in search of grazing grounds during the summers and come down to lower areas during the harsh winter.

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