New districts for Ladakh: Local bodies hail move, but say demand for statehood remains
The Leh Apex Body (LAB), one of the two organisations spearheading an agitation in support of statehood, said with a total of seven districts, it should now get easier to grant statehood status for the region.
Several umbrella groups, comprising political, social and religious organisations, in Ladakh on Monday welcomed the Centre’s announcement on the creation of five more districts in the Union territory but reiterated their demand for restoration of statehood with a legislature.
The Leh Apex Body (LAB), one of the two organisations spearheading an agitation in support of statehood, said with a total of seven districts, it should now get easier to grant statehood status for the region.
“For a long time, the people in this region have been seeking creation of more districts. This was not the demand of the Apex Body but we welcome it. But we also stick to our demand for statehood among other things. With a total of seven states, it should be easier to get statehood,” LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjey Lakrook said.
Lakrook added that LAB will continue with its plan for a foot march from Ladakh to Delhi on September 1 to press the Centre to resume the stalled dialogue with the Ladakh leadership on their demands.
LAB and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), both groupings of various political, social and religious outfits, are jointly spearheading an agitation, and have been holding protests in and outside the Union territory over the past four years in support of statehood, extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, early recruitment process along with a public service commission for Ladakh, and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.
The talks between Ladakh representatives and the Centre, which began in December 2023, ended in March without any concrete outcome.
While the Union territory earlier had two districts – Kargil and Leh, on Monday, the Union home ministry on Monday announced the creation of five more – Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang.
KDA core member Sajjad Kargili also welcomed the announcement but demanded the declaration of Suru Valley region, which currently falls under Kargil, as a separate district.
“Moreover, it is also important to clarify whether these new districts will be fully functional with all powers and responsibilities, or if they will resemble the sub-divisions created earlier, where powers were not transferred to them till today,” he said.
Kargili urged the Centre to establish a legislature in the region. “Dear Amit Shah ji, the creation of new districts can be truly beneficial if accompanied by the establishment of an assembly and further democratic processes. Without this, there is a risk of adding bureaucratic layers in Ladakh, instead of enhancing democratic governance,” he said.
Chushul councillor Konchok Stanzin said: “It’s a good decision taken by the Centre. I welcome this decision, we have been demanding this for many years.”