SRINAGAR: The Ladakh administration on Friday notified five new tehsils covering 31 revenue villages across five districts of the Union Territory, while transferring the powers of the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Durbuk, to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Durbuk.
Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena announced the creation of the five tehsils on X, saying the move would take the total number of tehsils in Ladakh to 37 and strengthen grassroots administration and public service delivery.
The Revenue Department notification, dated October 16, was issued by Commissioner-Secretary Revenue Shurbir Singh under Section 5 of the Jammu and Kashmir Land Revenue Act, 1996. It follows earlier orders issued on April 27 and July 12, 2026.
The newly constituted tehsils are Aryan Valley in Sham district, Sodh in Kargil, Phey in Zanskar, Thasgam in Drass and Himya in Changthang.
Aryan Valley tehsil will have its headquarters at Dha-Bema and comprise four revenue villages: Dha-Bema, Hanu, Garkone and Darchiks.
Sodh tehsil, headquartered at Yourbaltak, will cover eight villages: Yourbaltak, Akchamal, Apatee, Tumail, Barchey, Silmoo, Lalung and Chulichan.
Phey tehsil in Zanskar, with its headquarters at Phey, will comprise nine villages: Rangdum, Phey, Remala-Skagam, Hamiling, Abran, Akshow, Atting, Rantaksha and Tungri.
Thasgam tehsil in Drass will have its headquarters at Thasgam and include four villages: Thasgam, Jasgund, Kharboo and Shamisha.
Himya tehsil in Changthang, headquartered at Himya, will comprise six villages: Tukla, Liktse, Tarchit, Kungyam, Teri and Himya.
The notification also provides for the reorganisation of existing tehsils, with the specified revenue villages transferred to the newly constituted administrative units from the date the order takes effect.
In a separate decision, the administration assigned the powers of ADC Durbuk to SDM Durbuk, responding to a long-standing public demand. The move is intended to improve access to administrative services, strengthen local governance and facilitate the timely delivery of public services to residents.
The decisions will take effect from the date of publication in the official Gazette.
Saxena said the measures were in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of an inclusive and developed Ladakh.
