Ladakh Gets 7 Autonomous Hill Development Councils

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)

• Local self-governance framework extended to five newly created districts

• Elections to newly constituted councils to be held in due course

Srinagar- The Ladakh administration has constituted Autonomous Hill Development Councils in all seven districts of the Union Territory, extending the elected local self-governance framework to five newly created districts.

Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena approved the creation of the seven councils on Thursday, following the Centre's July 13 announcement to extend the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) framework to all districts of the Union Territory.

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The councils will function in Leh, Kargil, Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass.

Until now, elected Hill Development Councils existed only in Leh and Kargil. The latest decision extends the system to Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass, which were created as new districts.

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According to a notification issued by the Ladakh administration, the councils have been constituted under Section 3(1) of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils Act, 1997, and will exercise powers and perform functions assigned to them under the Act.

The notification supersedes previous notifications relating to the constitution of Hill Development Councils in Ladakh.

The administration has said elections to the newly constituted councils will be held in due course after a formal notification is issued under Section 8 of the Act.

The move also raises questions over the existing Hill Council in Kargil. Its five-year term was scheduled to continue until October 2028, while the term of the Leh council ended on October 30, 2025.

Sources said the latest notification, which supersedes earlier notifications, effectively brings the existing arrangement to an end. However, there has been no separate official clarification from the Ladakh administration on the remaining tenure of the Kargil Hill Council.

Welcoming the decision, Lieutenant Governor Saxena thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying the creation of seven councils would further decentralise governance and strengthen people's participation in district-level planning and development.

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“The creation of autonomous hill development councils in all seven districts is a milestone in strengthening grassroots governance in Ladakh. This will empower people and enable development to be more responsive to local needs and aspirations,” Saxena said.

The expansion of the Hill Council system is expected to provide an institutional mechanism for greater participation of local communities in development and administrative matters in the newly created districts.

The decision comes amid ongoing talks between the Apex Body Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance with the Union Government over various political and constitutional demands concerning Ladakh.

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