Arteev Sharma
Jammu: A day after Ladakh leaders expressed dissatisfaction with the Centre’s draft proposal on constitutional safeguards, Sankoo region in Kargil district erupted in celebration on Friday after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) approved its long-pending demand for district status, with thousands raising slogans in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The decision comes less than six months after the creation of five new districts in Ladakh—Changthang, Drass, Nubra, Sham and Zanskar—on April 27 this year. The exclusion of Sankoo from the list had triggered resentment among Kargil leaders, who had termed the move discriminatory and intensified their demand for separate district status. With this, the number of districts in Ladakh has gone up to 8.
The speed with which the Centre approved the demand received attention for its timing, particularly as the region had been pressing for district status since the creation of the five new districts.
Addressing an enthusiastic and jubilant gathering at Government Degree College (GDC) Kargil, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said he had held a series of meetings with leaders from Sankoo over the past week before taking up their demand with the Centre.
“When I met the leaders from Sankoo again yesterday evening, I assured them that I would speak to the Home Minister during the night. When I spoke to him, he asked for my views on the demand. I told him that their demand was genuinely justified and that I stood with them. I also told him that approving it would be a historic decision for the people of the region. The demand is not new; it has been pending for decades, and I felt it was entirely genuine,” Saxena said.
Recounting the subsequent developments, he added, “The Home Minister told me that he would call me back after half an hour. He called me back half an hour later and gave me the go-ahead. Today, I am very happy to announce that Sankoo is being declared a district.”
He said the notification had been prepared and signed, and that he had brought it with him. In a further announcement, Saxena also declared a Hill Council for Sankoo and said its notification would be issued shortly.
In another significant decision aimed at further decentralising administration, he also announced the creation of five new tehsils across Ladakh. These include: Aryan Valley (Sham district): Comprising Dha-Beema, Hanu, Garkone and Darchiks. Sodh (Kargil district): Comprising Yourbaltak, Akchamal, Apatee, Tumail, Barchey, Silmoo, Lalung and Chulichan. Phey (Zanskar district): Comprising Rangdum, Phey, Emala-Shagan, Hamiling, Abran, Akshow, Atting, Rantaksha and Tungri. Thasgam (Drass district): Comprising Thasgam, Jasgund, Kharboo and Shimsha. Hemya (Changthang district): Comprising Tukla, Liktse, Tarchit, Kungyam, Teri and Hemya.
An official spokesperson said the creation of these tehsils would further improve the reach of administrative institutions and facilitate access to essential public services for people living in remote and far-flung areas.
Earlier, on July 12, the Lieutenant Governor had announced the creation of 17 new tehsils as part of the broader administrative reorganisation of Ladakh. With the addition of the five new tehsils announced today, the total number of tehsils in the Union Territory has increased to 37.
The Lieutenant Governor said the ongoing reorganisation aims to operationalise the newly created districts, improve administrative efficiency, and ensure citizens can access government services closer to home.
By reducing the distance between people and administrative institutions, the initiative, Saxena said, seeks to make governance more responsive, inclusive, and citizen-centric.
