Leh: The Centre has announced that Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) will be established in all seven districts of the Union Territory as part of measures aimed at strengthening local governance.
According to the Ladakh administration, Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra said the existing LAHDC Act would be amended wherever necessary and constituency delimitation would be undertaken before the new councils are constituted.
The announcement follows recent discussions involving the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Apex Body Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on governance-related issues in the Union Territory.
The Chief Secretary also said consultations were underway on a proposed framework under Article 371 for Ladakh. He said discussions are focused on creating a Union Territory-level institution with legislative, executive, financial and administrative powers, with its final structure to be decided after consultations with stakeholders and the Government of India.
The administration also outlined steps to strengthen governance and public services in the Union Territory. It said more than 4,500 government posts have been filled or their recruitment completed since Ladakh became a Union Territory, while recruitment for another 1,684 posts is in progress.
Fresh recruitment advertisements will soon be issued for 262 Primary and Upper Primary Teacher posts, 47 posts in the University of Ladakh and 331 constable posts, the administration said.
The Chief Secretary said tehsildars have been posted in the 17 newly created tehsils and new divisions under the Public Works Department, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and Public Health Engineering Department have been established to improve service delivery across all seven districts.
He added that senior officers would undertake regular visits to remote and border areas to monitor development works and address public grievances.
Kundra also said objections received on the proposed Excise Policy are being examined before a final decision is taken. He added that Panchayati Raj Institutions would continue to function alongside the proposed Hill Councils and that additional district-level posts would be created in phases as the administrative setup expands.
