SRINAGAR: Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved the formal notification for establishing Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) in all seven districts of the Union Territory, following directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The move expands the autonomous council system beyond Leh and Kargil, where such councils had previously operated, and is aimed at strengthening decentralised and participatory governance across Ladakh.
The Centre had announced on July 13, 2026, the creation of new LAHDCs for Ladakh’s five newly created districts — Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass— bringing the total number of councils in the Union Territory to seven.
The Revenue Department’s notification said elections to the newly constituted councils would be held in due course after a formal notification is issued 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 administration is expected to undertake the delimitation of council boundaries and other electoral preparations before the polls.
Welcoming the decision, Saxena thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, describing the establishment of councils in all seven districts as a milestone for grassroots governance.
“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,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
The new councils are expected to provide institutional mechanisms for greater public participation in district-level development and administrative planning. Local leaders and civil society groups have also welcomed the move as a step towards greater administrative and democratic decentralisation in the Union Territory.
