Ladakh groups oppose plan for new autonomous hill councils
text_fields
The Ladakh administration's decision to establish Autonomous Hill Development Councils (AHDCs) in each of the Union Territory's seven districts has drawn strong opposition from the Apex Body, Leh (ABL), and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).
They alleged the move would weaken the proposed representative government under Article 371 of the Constitution.
The administration on Monday announced that AHDCs would be created in the five newly formed districts of Drass, Sham, Nubra, Changthang, and Zanskar. At present, such councils exist only in Leh and Kargil.
Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra said the decision was based on long-standing public demand and would strengthen democratic decentralisation and grassroots governance. He also said recent discussions between Ladakh leaders and the Centre had resulted in broad agreement on creating a Union Territory-level representative body under a customised framework based on Article 371.
According to the administration, the proposed body would have legislative, executive, financial, and administrative powers, with the framework still under examination.
However, ABL co-chairman Chherring Dorje Lakruk said the move would dilute the authority of the proposed representative government.
KDA co-chairman Sajjad Kargili said neither the KDA nor the ABL had been consulted before the decision was announced. He questioned how seven hill councils would improve governance when the existing councils in Leh and Kargil remained "toothless."
The issue had also surfaced during talks between the Centre and Ladakh's civil society groups on constitutional safeguards. According to sources, the proposal to create hill councils in all seven districts was discussed during a meeting with Ministry of Home Affairs officials on May 22, but objections from the ABL and KDA led to its removal from the final minutes of the meeting before they agreed to sign the document.
The announcement comes as negotiations continue between the Centre and the two organisations, which have been seeking constitutional safeguards for Ladakh after it became a Union Territory in 2019. Their demands include statehood or a legislative framework under Article 371, protection for land and jobs, and greater political representation.