5 new districts for Ladakh likely to be notified by end of July

Domicile issue may be resolved in May 20 meetCEC Leh led BJP delegation meets ShahSanjeev PargalJAMMU, Apr 26: Five new districts in the Union Territory of Ladakh are expected to be notified by the end of July by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) while the issue of domiciles followed by recruitment is expected to be resolved in May 20 meeting of the High powered Committee (HPC) with Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).This emerged during a meeting the BJP leaders from Ladakh had with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi today.Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsAppInsiders told the Excelsior that the MHA is awaiting report of the administrative committee set up by the UT administration after the Panel submitted its report recommending headquarters, posts and generation of other infrastructure for five new districts created by the Home Ministry for Ladakh in August last year.

Five new districts include Sham, Nubra and Changthang (all in Leh district) and Zanskar and Drass in Kargil district. Presently, Ladakh has only two districts—Leh and Kargil.New administrative units will take total number of districts in Ladakh to seven.



On deadlock over the issue of domiciles followed by recruitment to gazetted cadre, the insiders said the issues is expected to be resolved in May 20 HPC meeting to be chaired by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai in New Delhi.There were reports that the MHA is ready to relax the deadline from 15 years to 20 years but there has been no official statement so far on this.On 95 percent reservations for locals, 80 percent will go to STs, 4 percent to Actual Line of Control (ALC), 10 per cent to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), one percent to SCs and five percent to others but they too will be domiciles of Ladakh.

The non-gazetted recruitments in Ladakh UT were conducted on the basis of LRC (Ladakh Resident Certificate), which was replica of State Subject used in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir of which Ladakh was third division besides Jammu and Kashmir.The BJP delegation which met Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi today comprised Chairman-cum-Chief Executive Councillor of LAHDC Leh Tashi Gyalson, Deputy Chairman Tsering Angchuk, Executive Councillors, BJP Ladakh president Phunchok Stanzin, former Member of Parliament Jamyang Tsering Namgayal and BJP elected Councillors from both LAHDC Leh and Kargil, PT Kunzang, general secretary and former CEC Gyal P Wangyal among others.BJP national general secretary Incharge J&K and Ladakh Tarun Chugh was also present.

The delegation expressed gratitude to the Home Minister for his continued support to the Union Territory of Ladakh. They acknowledged the formation of new districts-Zanskar, Drass, Kargil, Nubra and Sham-as a crucial step towards inclusive development and appreciated the Centre’s consistent financial support, particularly through the Vibrant Village Programme and the recent approval of its second phase.They invited Shah to visit Ladakh and witness the progress firsthand.

During the discussion, the delegation raised several pressing issues. They stressed the urgent need to strengthen the Gazetted recruitment process in Ladakh, seeking the Home Minister’s direct intervention to ensure that the rights and interests of local youth are protected and safeguard issue.They also highlighted the importance of restoring the budget allocations for LAHDC and the UT administration, which are essential for ensuring the smooth functioning of governance and uninterrupted development across the region.

The leaders pointed out the difficulties faced by foreign tourists due to the current registration process and appealed for a simplified procedure to make Ladakh more accessible to international travellers. They also proposed the formation of a dedicated Ladakh Development Corporation to manage regional development more efficiently and address financial irregularities, especially in light of the ongoing challenges with the J&K Development Finance Corporation.Recognizing the importance of Ladakh’s global identity, the delegation requested that all Indian embassies-especially those in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada-update their web information to reflect Ladakh’s status as a separate Union Territory.

“This is essential to ensure accurate international representation and avoid confusion abroad,” they said.They also demanded early opening of the Leh-Manali road, which remains vital for the movement of goods and people. The delegation urged the Centre to expedite the clearance of Baralacha and Shingkula passes to maintain connectivity.

Additionally, the delegation called for more streamlined and locally managed procedures for issuing Protected Area Permits (PAP) and Restricted Area Permits (RAP), suggesting that verification powers be delegated to the District Magistrate of Leh for quicker processing and to increase VPN.Special attention was also drawn to issues concerning the newly formed Zanskar district and Kargil and adjoining areas which Councillor Stanzin Lakpa, Padma Dorjey said require immediate administrative focus. Finally, in light of recent heavy thunderstorms and snowfall that caused significant disruption across Ladakh, the leaders sought the Home Minister’s support in addressing the resulting challenges.

The Changthang and Nubra Councillors extended special gratitude to the Home Minister for Vibrant Village Program and highlighted the Wildlife rationalization issue. The Councillor from Markha Constituency mentioned Hemis National Park rationalization issue.The Home Minister assured the delegation that the Central Government remains fully committed to the development and welfare of Ladakh and that all necessary steps would be taken to address the concerns raised by them.

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