Avinav Verma
Jammu: Amid the ongoing debate over constitutional safeguards, Ladakh today took a major step towards strengthening elected local governance, with Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena approving the notification for the creation of Autonomous Hill Development Councils in all seven districts of the Union Territory.
The decision expands the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) framework beyond the existing councils in Leh and Kargil to the five newly created districts of Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass in a sparsely populated region.
The move comes nearly two months after the Centre announced the creation of new LAHDCs in the Union Territory on July 13 and follows the establishment of the five new districts as part of Ladakh’s administrative reorganisation
With the expansion, residents of the five new districts will eventually have elected councils to represent their local interests and play a greater role in development planning and other matters concerning local administration. The decision marks a major shift from Ladakh’s existing two-council arrangement to a seven-district institutional framework for local governance.
The LAHDC system was first introduced in Leh in 1995 and subsequently extended to Kargil in 2003 with the objective of decentralising decision-making and bringing governance closer to the people.
Under the framework, the councils have responsibilities relating to district development planning, land-related matters, public works, health, education and other local functions.
The expansion assumes particular importance at a time when Ladakh’s political and constitutional future remains a subject of discussion.
Representative groups from Leh and Kargil have been seeking greater democratic representation and safeguards for the region’s land, culture and identity.
The notification, however, is not the final step in the process.
According to the Revenue Department, elections to the newly constituted councils will be held in due course after the formal notification required under Section 8 of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils Act, 1997. The notification will come into force from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
The next phase will involve completing the prescribed legal and procedural arrangements, including delimitation of constituencies, before the new councils can be constituted through elections.
Welcoming the decision, L-G Saxena said the establishment of councils in all seven districts would strengthen participatory local governance and allow local aspirations and priorities to be reflected more effectively in district-level 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,” he said.
The administration has also been working on additional tehsils and departmental divisions to improve service delivery in remote areas.
The council expansion is expected to complement these efforts by creating a more localised institutional framework for development.
