With the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ladakh leaders agreeing in principle to extend constitutional safeguards under Article 371 to the Union Territory, the Ladakh administration has decided to constitute Autonomous Hill Development Councils (AHDCs) in all seven districts.
The decision follows the creation of five new districts — Sham, Nubra, Zanskar, Drass and Changthang — taking the total number of districts in Ladakh to seven. Until now, elected representation had been limited to the existing Hill Councils in Leh and Kargil.
Announcing the decision, Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra said the move marked a major step towards democratic decentralisation and grassroots governance. “The Ladakh Administration has decided to constitute an Autonomous Hill Development Council in each of the seven districts. It is a major step towards democratic decentralisation and grassroots governance,” he told reporters.
Kundra said residents of the newly created districts had sought autonomous district councils following the administrative reorganisation.
He added that the new councils would enjoy the same powers as those in Leh and Kargil, including authority over land ownership and allotment, recruitment and promotion of district cadre employees, preparation of district development plans, and the administration of sectors such as health, education, tourism, local infrastructure and social welfare.
Each council would also have a dedicated Council Fund and the authority to levy taxes, fees and other charges in accordance with the law.
