Ladakh to be third administrative division of Jammu and Kashmir Friday Feb 08,2019

The government on Friday Feb 08,2019 approved the creation of a separate administrative or revenue division for Ladakh which will comprise of Leh and Kargil districts.

Till now, Ladakh was part of the Kashmir division of Jammu and Kashmir and administratively managed through the Leh and Kargil Autonomous Hill Councils. The state will now have three divisions – Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

According to the official handout released by the state Department of Information and Public Relations, the headquarters of this division will be in Leh.

The government has also approved creation of the posts of Divisional Commissioner (Ladakh), Leh and Inspector General of Police (Ladakh), Leh.

A committee led by the principal secretary of planning will also be set up to finalise details on staffing, posts, responsibilities and location of offices.

The government order says that Ladakh is one of the most sparsely populated regions in Jammu and Kashmir and located on the highest plateau in the state, with most of it being 9,800 feet above sea level. It remains landlocked for nearly six months in a year and connectivity to Leh is possible only via air travel. No wonder then that it is riddled with insurmountable problems such as delivery of developmental schemes, redressal of public grievances and conduct of administrative affairs.

"The powers of local governance have already been decentralised by formation of Hill Development Councils for the Leh and Kargil Districts," the order stated.

Under the Jammu and Kashmir Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Act, 1997, the Hill Development Councils were established both for Leh and Kargil Districts. In order to strengthen the respective Hill Development Councils of Leh and Kargil, the Act was further amended further in 2018 to give them more powers.