OnlyKashmir.in News Desk
In a landmark move to deepen democratic decentralisation in Ladakh, the Union Territory administration on Monday announced an Autonomous Hill Development Council for each of its seven districts, extending the existing framework of elected local self-governance beyond Leh and Kargil.
Ladakh moved from two districts to seven in April 2026, when Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass were notified. Elected representation until now has remained with the two existing Councils in Leh and Kargil.
With the announcement, each of the seven Councils will carry the full powers set out in the LAHDC Act, meaning the same authority that Leh has held since 1995 and Kargil since 2003, and not a reduced version of it.
Essentially, the hill councils will prepare their own development plans, enabling each district to determine its priorities instead of relying on decisions taken in Leh or Kargil.
