Most Tibetans stay away from voter list in Dalai Lama’s Mcleodganj 

MCLEODGANJ:  Dharamsala’s picturesque Mcleodganj in Kangra district is associated with the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile. However, the town has only 720 Tibetans who are eligible to vote in the assembly polls. 

Most of the more than 9,000 Tibetans living in the Dharamsala constituency are eligible to vote. However, they have not registered themselves amid a fear that it could affect their refugee status. “Tibetans can be registered voters. Those born in India between January 26, 1950, and July 1, 1987, were eligible to be registered as voters.

Tibetans born in India between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, with one of their parents being an Indian citizen were also eligible. Thus as of date, 720 Tibetans are registered as voters,’’ said Kangra Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal. A majority of eligible Tibetans will vote in Mcleodganj.

Talking with this newspaper, Thinley Jampa, general secretary of the Indo-Tibetan Friendship Association, said the main issue is the living condition of the community: Most Tibetans live in 218 houses. The land on which these houses were built belonged to the state forest department, which acquired it in 2010. “We want government gives this land on lease back to us,” said Thinley Jampa.

“Our youngsters are going abroad due to lack of job opportunities,” he said. On the political front, he is cautious. “We could be targeted and discriminated against if we support a party,’’ says Jampa. Thousands of tourists visited Mcleodganj annually.

Bad roads and poor civic amenities have not only affected the locals but have kept the tourists away. Sanjeev Gandhi, general secretary of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Dharamsala, complains about the lack of government support. “We want that tourism to be declared as an industry. The tourism sector has suffered an 81% dip,” said Gandhi.