Ladakh  UT and former Indian soldiers  today flashed  pictures of Indian troops armed with  SIG Sauer rifles, celebrating the  New Year unfurling  Indian Tiranga high in the icy high hot spot of Galwan valley in Ladakh. The celebration has now given a happy burial to  the “so-called Galwan valley-2” episode popped up by  the  honchos of the TRP-hungry main stream media, rebutted the former soldiers.   

This  "unofficial rebuttal"  to the “city-centric Media honchos”  came  today when the IMD Ladakh issued  “orange colour” warning for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, forecasting the rains in plains and heavy snowfall in the high reaches tonight and tomorrow.   

The people and soldiers in Ladakh took "Galwan valley  Episode 2 "  in bad taste as this diatribe came when Lt. Gen Anindya Sengupta joined as new GOC 14 Corps Ladakh on New Year, replacing Lt. Gen PGK Menon, who was given a warm send -off by L-G and army and local citizens in Leh.

UT Ladakh office  also flashed picture of Indian high-spirited troops in their high-altitude combat fatigues carrying the SIG Sauer rifles,  celebrating the New Year in the  freezing highland spot of Galwan valley. “The Galwan episode -1 had grabbed the world wide attention last year during the high voltage Indo-Chinese faceoff  there that had resulted in casualties on both sides”, said the ex-officers.      

Lt General Satish Dua, former,  Corps 15, GOC, Kashmir and Chief of Integrated Defence staff,  shared the picture of Indian troops celebrating in Galwan valley  saying, “We are proud of our soldiers standing tall as Himalaya in the icy heights carrying SIG Sauer rifles”.

The certain “media honchos” were busy “cooking up stories about India-China build-up along the LAC to increase their TRP that almost sent the entire Ladakh ecosystem on fire, commented the former soldiers, who wished not to be named. 

"It looked like a campaign on social media showing Indian soldiers in poor light, by flashing and “tweeting videos and news clips and articles” that  sent the social media on fire. Some popular news  anchors even talked about massive build-up of forces along the LAC in Ladakh sector, demanding “strong response from the Modi government”, they pointed out.

But people and Indian troops in Ladakh were in high spirits.  "Braving sub-zero temperatures, they celebrated New year and Losar a Ladakhi new years, guarding the Borders in the icy heights as they have been doing over the years", they said.  

UT Ladakh L-G, RK Mathur, LAHDC chairman Tashi  Gyalson, Ladakh MP  Jamyang Tsering Namgial, officials and army  have been holding series of meeting  with stakeholders giving a new push to all the development works in the cold desert.

Mathur said they gave smart phones to village level workers to bridge connectivity gap. Smartphone would be distributed to 20 gram panchayats in Leh and Kargil districts on  a pilot project basis to ensure people in rural areas make free calls through VSAT WiFi ending their history-long isolation from their near and dear ones elsewhere in India.

Mathur met with Union Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel  today and discussed a broad- based strategy to promote export of products like  sea buckthorn apricot, apples, enhancing  capacity of farmers through participation an international trade fairs and exhibitions.

The pictures of celebration of New Year in the freezing heights of Galwan valley and unfurling Tiranga in its full glory and might, where the temperatures dipped to -30 degree Centigrade were viral on social media.

“Indian army has exposed the “big anti-India bluff along the Line of Actual Control(LAC)  that tried to put Chinese PLA in commanding position  on social media.  It was popped up by a section of media around New Year to put the Modi government in a “poor light”, charged the ex-soldiers.