Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, July 13

The Ladakh administration on Monday announced plans to establish Autonomous Hill Development Councils (AHDCs) in each of the Union Territory’s seven districts, extending elected district-level governance beyond Leh and Kargil as part of a broader decentralisation initiative.

Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra said the move would give all seven districts elected councils with powers over local administration, development planning, land management and district-level governance under the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Act.

The announcement follows the creation of five new districts – Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass – in April, expanding Ladakh’s administrative structure from two districts to seven.

“The administration has decided to constitute an Autonomous Hill Development Council in every district. It is a major step towards democratic decentralisation and grassroots governance,” Kundra told reporters.

He said the existing legislation already provides for the establishment of a council in each district, with only statutory amendments and the delimitation of constituencies required before elections can be held.

According to the administration, the new councils will enjoy powers comparable to those exercised by the existing hill councils in Leh and Kargil, including authority over land allotment, district cadre recruitment, local taxation and preparation of district development plans.

Each council will also maintain its own fund and generate revenue through taxes, fees and other charges permitted under law.

The proposed expansion forms part of a wider governance model under discussion between the Ladakh administration and the federal government. Kundra said the administration had proposed creating a Union Territory-level institution under a customised constitutional framework inspired by Article 371, which grants special administrative provisions to several Indian states.

The proposed body would function above the district councils and exercise legislative, executive, financial and administrative powers, although its structure and authority remain subject to consultations with the central government.

Kundra said powers could eventually be redistributed between the district councils and the proposed Union Territory institution, but emphasised that the immediate priority was extending elected self-governance to all seven districts.

He added that Panchayati Raj institutions would continue to function alongside the hill councils, creating a three-tier system of elected representation at the village, district and Union Territory levels.

The announcement comes amid continuing demands from political and civil society groups in Ladakh for greater constitutional safeguards and enhanced local representation following the region’s separation from the former state of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.