Move aimed at bringing governance closer to people, strengthening grassroots democracy and ensuring easier access to public services
Leh, October 16: In another landmark people-centric decision, Lieutenant Governor, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, today announced the creation of Sankoo as the eighth district of the Union Territory of Ladakh, along with the creation of five new tehsils in Ladakh, marking a big stride towards decentralising administration, strengthening grassroots democracy and bringing governance closer to the people.
The creation of Sankoo district comes less than six months after the announcement of five new districts—Changthang, Drass, Nubra, Sham and Zanskar—reflecting the Administration’s continued efforts to make governance more accessible and responsive to the needs of people across Ladakh. With this, the number of districts in Ladakh has gone up to 8.
Carved out of the existing Kargil district, the newly created Sankoo district is one of the most populous regions in Ladakh and will comprise the tehsils of GM Pore, TSG and Taisuru. The decision fulfils a long-standing aspiration of the people of the region and will facilitate better administrative coordination, improve access to government services and strengthen public participation in governance.
L-G Shri Saxena, who was in Sankoo today, later attended a massive gathering to celebrate the creation of the new Sankoo district. A large number of people gathered amid jubilant celebrations at Sankoo and expressed gratitude to the Central Government and the Lieutenant Governor for fulfilling their long-standing demand for a separate district.
The Lieutenant Governor said the decision was in line with the vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Hon’ble Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah. “The creation of Sankoo district fulfils a long-standing aspiration of the people of the area and marks another important step towards bringing administration closer to citizens. Our objective is to ensure that people in every part of Ladakh can access government services more easily and that the benefits of development reach every village and household. I express my sincere gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Hon’ble Home Minister Shri Amit Shah for their continued support towards the development of Ladakh,” said L-G Shri Saxena.
The Lieutenant Governor also assured the gathering that the administrative requirements arising from the creation of the new district would be addressed at the earliest and that necessary appointments would be made soon to facilitate its effective functioning.
In another significant decision aimed at further decentralising administration, the Lieutenant Governor announced the creation of five new tehsils across Ladakh. These include:
- Aryan Valley (Sham district): Comprising Dha-Beema, Hanu, Garkone and Darchiks.
- Sodh (Kargil district): Comprising Yourbaltak, Akchamal, Apatee, Tumail, Barchey, Silmoo, Lalung and Chulichan.
- Phey (Zanskar district): Comprising Rangdum, Phey, Emala-Shagan, Hamiling, Abran, Akshow, Atting, Rantaksha and Tungri.
- Thasgam (Drass district): Comprising Thasgam, Jasgund, Kharboo and Shimsha.
- Hemya (Changthang district): Comprising Tukla, Liktse, Tarchit, Kungyam, Teri and Hemya.
The creation of these tehsils will further improve the reach of administrative institutions and facilitate access to essential public services for people living in remote and far-flung areas.
Earlier, on July 12, the Lieutenant Governor had announced the creation of 17 new tehsils as part of the broader administrative reorganisation of Ladakh. With the addition of the five new tehsils announced today, the total number of tehsils in the Union Territory has increased to 37.
The Lieutenant Governor said the ongoing reorganisation aims to operationalise the newly created districts, improve administrative efficiency, and ensure citizens can access government services closer to home. By reducing the distance between people and administrative institutions, the initiative, L-G Shri Saxena said, seeks to make governance more responsive, inclusive, and citizen-centric.
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