Ladakh: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday approved the creation of a separate Administrative Revenue Division for Ladakh, said an order issued by state Governor Satya Pal Malik. This division will comprise Leh and Kargil Districts with its headquarters at Leh. Now, Jammu and Kashmir will have three divisions – Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir. The creation of two posts of Divisional Commissioner and Inspector General of Police (IGP) has been sanctioned for the new division.
Further, a committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary to government, planning, development and monitoring department to identify the posts of divisional level heads of various departments that may be required for the new Division; particularly their staffing pattern, role and responsibilities and proposed location of these offices. Ladakh is one of the most sparsely populated regions in Jammu and Kashmir and is the highest plateau in the state, with most of it being over 9,800 feet above sea level. The region is geographically isolated with an inhospitable terrain.
Consequently, the region is riddled with insurmountable problems with respect to delivery of developmental schemes, redressal of public grievances, conduct of administrative affairs and governance, it said. The people of Ladakh have for a long time been demanding effective local institutional arrangements which can help accelerate the pace of development and equitable all-round growth and development, it said.
“At present, the powers of local governance have already been decentralised by the formation of Hill Development Councils for the Leh and Kargil Districts. This was given effect by enacting the Jammu and Kashmir Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Act, 1997,” the order said.
