In a major administrative decision, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved the creation of 17 new Tehsils in Ladakh as part of a comprehensive reorganisation of Tehsils and Revenue Villages following the creation of five new districts in the Union Territory. With this, the total number of Tehsils in Ladakh has increased from 15 to 32, marking a significant step towards operationalising the newly created districts and bringing governance closer to the people.

The reorganisation has been carried out on the recommendations of a UT-level committee constituted by the Lieutenant Governor after the notification of the five new districts on April 27 this year. The committee identified several shortcomings in the existing administrative structure, including unclear demarcation of Tehsil and Revenue Village boundaries. It observed that some Tehsils extended across more than one district, leading to administrative overlap and operational challenges.

To address these issues, every Revenue Village has now been mapped to a single Tehsil, and every Tehsil to a single district, ensuring a transparent, logical and efficient administrative framework without altering the territorial boundaries of any district.

The Lieutenant Governor has also directed the Chief Secretary to immediately appoint Tehsildars to the newly created Tehsils, with each officer holding independent charge of a Tehsil to improve administrative efficiency and public service delivery.

Given Ladakh's vast geographical expanse, difficult terrain and scattered habitations, the creation of the new Tehsils is expected to substantially reduce travel distances—often exceeding 300 kilometres—for citizens seeking government services, while ensuring quicker delivery of public services and more effective grassroots governance.

Following the reorganisation, Leh district will have five Tehsils, Kargil seven, Changthang four, Nubra six, Zanskar four, Sham five, and Drass one Tehsil.

"The creation of new districts was done to bring governance closer to the people and make the administration more accessible, responsive and citizen-centric. With the operationalisation of these districts through a comprehensive reorganisation of Tehsils and Revenue Villages, we are establishing a robust administrative framework that will significantly improve revenue administration, strengthen grassroots governance and ensure faster implementation of developmental programmes. Our objective is to ensure that every citizen, particularly those living in remote and border areas, has easier access to government services while enabling balanced, inclusive and sustainable development across Ladakh," Lieutenant Governor Saxena said.

The reorganisation establishes a clear and well-defined revenue administrative hierarchy, with each Tehsil to be headed by a Tehsildar or Naib Tehsildar. Where Naib Tehsildars are placed in independent charge of a Tehsil, they will exercise the powers of an Assistant Collector Class-I.

The restructuring has been undertaken under Section 5 of the Jammu and Kashmir Land Revenue Act, 1996, as applicable to the Union Territory of Ladakh through the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which empowers the Administration to alter the number and limits of Tehsils through notification.