Leh, Srinagar: In a major administrative reorganization, the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh has constituted seven Autonomous Hill Development Councils, establishing one for each district.
According to an official notification issued by the Ladakh Administration, the newly formed bodies comprise the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council for Leh, and dedicated Hill Councils for Kargil, Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar, and Drass.
While the tenure of the Leh Hill Council concluded in October 2025, the Kargil Council still had over two years remaining in its five-year term. However, administrative sources revealed that the tenure of the Kargil body has automatically ended as the latest notification supersedes all previous orders. “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils Act, 1997 (Act No. XXXI of 1997), as amended from time to time and in supersession of all previous notifications in this regard, the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh hereby constitutes the following Autonomous Hill Development Councils for the respective districts of the Union Territory of Ladakh for the purposes specified under the said Act…,” reads the notification.
Officials confirmed that these new councils will exercise powers and perform functions under the 1997 Act. Elections for all seven bodies are slated to be held in due course following necessary notifications under Section 8 of the Act to ensure regular reconstitution.
