JK administration creates separate division for Ladakh

 Jammu: In a major decision, the Jammu and Kashmir administration Friday created a separate division for Ladakh, which was part of the Kashmir division till now.

Ladakh will now have a separate divisional commissioner and an inspector general of Police (IG) with a full administrative and revenue division at par with Kashmir and Jammu divisions, an order issued by the administration said.

"Ladakh created as a separate administrative and revenue division. Jammu and Kashmir will have three divisions -- Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir," it said.

The administration has sanctioned creation of a separate administrative and revenue division comprising Leh and Kargil districts, with its headquarters at Leh, the order said.

It has also ordered constitution of a committee under chairmanship of principal secretary, planning, development and monitoring department to identify the posts of divisional level heads of departments that may be required for the new division, particularly their staffing pattern, responsibilities and proposed location of these offices.

The order said this decision goes a long way in fulfilling the governance and development aspirations of the people of Ladakh region.

"The issue has been discussed at various fora and there has been a persistent demand for the creation of division for Ladakh from many organisations, including the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDC) Leh and Kargil," it added.

Ladakh is one of the most sparsely populated regions in Jammu and Kashmir and is the highest plateau in the state, with most of it being over 9,800 feet above sea level.

The region is geographically isolated with a sparse population and inhospitable terrain which remains landlocked for nearly six months in a year.