Ladakh got its eighth district on Friday as Sankoo was carved out of Kargil, ending a long wait for residents who had been demanding a separate district. Sankoo will also have its own hill council, though elections to it will be held later.
Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena announced the decision during a visit to Sankoo, where a large gathering celebrated the move.
The decision comes less than six months after Ladakh added five new districts. The Union Territory, which had only Leh and Kargil as its two districts until April this year, now has eight.
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Sankoo was not among the five new districts announced earlier this year, despite demands from local organisations and political representatives.
The new district will have Sankoo as its headquarters and comprise four tehsils- Sankoo, GM Pore, TSG and Taisuru. These areas will no longer fall under Kargil district.
In a separate move, the administration has notified the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) for Sankoo, giving the new district its own hill council.
The existing Kargil Hill Council's jurisdiction will also shrink, with areas now falling under Sankoo excluded from it.
The new council has been notified under the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils Act, 1997.
Why Sankoo Wanted A Separate District
The demand for district status for Sankoo had been pending for years. In March, a delegation led by Kargil Hill Council Chief Executive Councillor Dr Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon and Ladakh MP Haneefa Jan met Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The delegation had sought two new districts- Sankoo and Shakar-Chiktan- arguing that both were among the oldest and most populous subdivisions of Kargil.
However, when five districts- Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass- were notified in April, Sankoo was not among them.
While Sankoo has now been made a separate district, there was no announcement on Shakar-Chiktan.
"The creation of Sankoo district fulfils a long-standing aspiration of the people of the area," Saxena said.
He also said officials would be appointed soon to make the new district administration functional.
Five More Tehsils In Ladakh
The Lieutenant Governor also announced five new tehsils across Ladakh- Aryan Valley in Sham, Sodh in Kargil, Phey in Zanskar, Thasgam in Drass and Himya in Changthang.
This takes the number of tehsils in Ladakh to 37. In July, 17 new tehsils were created, taking the count from 15 to 32.
The changes come amid a larger debate over Ladakh's political future. The region became a Union Territory without a legislature in 2019, and groups in Leh and Kargil have since been demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule.
Talks between the Centre and Ladakh representatives on Thursday failed to break the deadlock over the region's future governance structure. Both sides are expected to meet again on October 22.