The Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir is set to become the third division within the state and will be granted it its own administrative and revenue rights, which hitherto were under the Kashmir division. The government order states that the decision has been taken keeping in mind the regional challenges of the region, especially during the span of severe winter, which landlocks the region from the rest of the state.
JK Govt orders creation of separate Ladakh Division pic.twitter.com/Uqkzr0PhP4
— DIPR-J&K (@diprjk) February 8, 2019
The order government order of the state, which is currently under the President’s rule, states that the new administrative and revenue division of Ladakh will comprise of the districts of Leh and Kargil.
A divisional commissioner and an Inspector General of police are soon to be appointed for the division. The administrative/Revenue headquarters of Leh and Kargil will be situated at Leh.
The statement shared by the government spokesperson today states that Ladakh faces extreme geographical challenges and the demand for a separate division has been a persistent demand of the people. It adds that the decision goes a long way in fulfilling the governance and development aspirations of the people of the region.
The people of Ladakh have been demanding separate division for a long time, citing its varied religious and cultural difference from the rest of the state. It also has accused the Jammu and Kashmir government of neglecting its interest and not taking note of the region’s peculiar geo-climatic and topographical challenges.
Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil were set up in 1995 and 2003, respectively, after in 1993 government decided to grant each of the districts of Ladakh the status of Autonomous Hill Council.
“In order to strengthen the respective Hill Development Councils Leh and Kargil, the LAHDC Act, 1997 has been amended further in 2018 to give them more powers.” The order remarks.
In December, LAHDC Leh and LAHDC Kargil had both passed a resolution demanding a separate division. Member of both councils had also met Governor Satya Pal Malik, demanding same. The order by the government of J&K can be seen as compliance with the passing of resolutions, as the order acknowledges the “persistent demands” of both the councils.
The Committee under Principal Secretary (Planning) will soon be finalizing posts, staffing, roles, responsibilities and location of offices.
