| New Ladakh districts go functional within hours, big step ahead of Amit Shah’s visit | | |  Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 28: Within hours of notifying the creation of five new districts in Ladakh, the Ladakh Administration on Tuesday operationalised the new units, with Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena approving the appointment of Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) for each district.
The swift rollout of administrative machinery comes just three days ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s two-day visit to Leh beginning April 30, and is being seen as a major confidence-building measure aimed at addressing the prevailing trust deficit in the region.
The Lieutenant Governor directed all newly appointed officers to assume charge immediately and work with commitment to ensure inclusive development and fulfil the aspirations of the people. He also emphasised that vacancies in subordinate staff would be filled on priority and necessary logistical support would be extended to ensure the smooth functioning of the new districts.
According to official orders, Nitish Rajoria has been appointed Deputy Commissioner of Changthang, with S.Z. Abbas Jaffari as Superintendent of Police. Mukul Beniwal and Stanzin Losal have been posted as DC and SP of Nubra, respectively, while Omkar Rajendra Gundage and Rigzen Sandup will head Zanskar as DC and SP.
Similarly, Kunzes Angmo and Aijaz Malik have been appointed DC and SP of Sham, respectively. For Drass district, Imteeaz Kacho has been posted as Deputy Commissioner and Ishtiyaq Ahmad as Superintendent of Police.
Officials said the existing district administrations of Leh and Kargil will continue to function with their current setup while coordinating with the newly carved districts during the transition phase.
The appointments follow Monday’s landmark decision to create five new districts—Nubra, Sham, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass—taking the total number of districts in Ladakh to seven. The move, cleared by the Lieutenant Governor, is aimed at strengthening grassroots governance, improving administrative reach in remote areas, and facilitating better delivery of public services.
The decision had originally received approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs in August 2024 as part of efforts to enhance administrative efficiency and bring governance closer to the people in the geographically vast and sparsely populated Union Territory. |
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