Separate division for Ladakh created

Jammu: In a significant development, the governor’s administration in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday approved creation of a separate administrative and revenue division for the Ladakh region of the state. The move triggered celebration in the landlocked region.

In a significant development, the Governor’s administration in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday approved creation of a separate administrative and revenue division for the Ladakh region of the State. The move triggered a celebration in the landlocked region.

According to an official announcement made in winter capital Jammu, the government has also approved creation of the posts of Divisional Commissioner and Inspector General of Police for Ladakh to be based in Leh, the cultural capital of the region. Further, a committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of principal secretary to government ( planning, development and monitoring department) to identify the posts of divisional level heads of various departments that may be required for the new division, particularly their staffing pattern, role and responsibilities and proposed location of these offices. Currently, the Ladakh region forms a part of the Kashmir division of Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu, the third region of the State, has a separate administrative and revenue division headquartered in winter capital Jammu.

Ladakh covers about 117,000 square km out of which about 30,000 square km are under Pakistan’s direct control. It contains the Ladakh Range which is a south- eastern extension of the Karakoram Range and the upper Indus River valley.

It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in J& K and, as per the 2011 census, the total population of the region was 2.74 lakh.

Also, it is the highest plateau in the State, with most of it being over 9,800 feet above sea level, and is geographically isolated with an inhospitable terrain which remains landlocked for nearly six months in a year. “Consequently, the region is riddled with many problems with respect to delivery of developmental schemes, redressal of public grievances, conduct of administrative affairs and governance as such,” said an official statement.