Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Sep 03
Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena approved a notification to establish Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils in all seven districts of the Union Territory, paving the way for elected local councils in five newly created districts.
The move follows directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs and expands the autonomous-council system beyond Leh and Kargil.
The five new districts are Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar, and Drass.
The administration is expected to begin work on boundary delimitation and the electoral framework required for elections to the newly constituted councils.
The Centre announced the creation of the new autonomous councils in Ladakh on July 13, 2026.
Saxena welcomed the decision and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, saying the seven-council structure would decentralise governance and increase local participation in planning and development.
“The creation of Autonomous Hill Development Councils in all seven districts is a milestone in strengthening grassroots governance in Ladakh. This will empower the people and enable development to be more responsive to local needs and aspirations,” Saxena said.
The notification issued by the Revenue Department of the Union Territory of Ladakh said elections to the newly constituted councils would be held in due course after a formal notification under Section 8 of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils Act, 1997.
The notification will take effect from the date of its publication in the official gazette.
The move gives the five newly created districts an institutional framework for local representation and participation in development and administrative matters.
Until now, autonomous hill development councils operated only in Leh and Kargil.
The expansion is expected to provide elected representation at the district level across the entire Union Territory, subject to the completion of the delimitation and electoral process.
