Ladakh gets eighth district Sankoo, five new tehsils notified to strengthen grassroots administration

17/10/2026

LEH/JAMMU, Oct 16: The Ladakh administration on Friday announced the creation of Sankoo as the Union Territory's eighth district and notified five new tehsils comprising 31 revenue villages across five districts, in a major administrative restructuring aimed at improving governance and public service delivery.
Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena approved the creation of Sankoo district, fulfilling a long-standing demand of the people of the area in Kargil district. He also approved the creation of five new tehsils, taking their total number in Ladakh to 37.
Announcing the creation of Sankoo district, Saxena said the decision was in line with the vision of inclusive development advocated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The administration acknowledged the contribution of local organisations and public representatives in pursuing the demand. It recognised the role of Anjuman-e-Sahib Zaman under the leadership of its Chief Patron Syed Mohammad Razvi (Aga Migi Outh), Chairman Sheikh Sadiq Balaghi, Kargil Chief Executive Councillor Dr Jaffar Akhoon, Ladakh MP Haneefa Jan and former Leh CEC Tashi Gyalston.
The announcement follows the earlier approval, on April 27, for the creation of five districts - Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass - which increased Ladakh's district count from two to seven.
In a related decision, the Revenue Department issued a notification on October 16, under Section 5 of the Jammu and Kashmir Land Revenue Act, 1996, notifying five new tehsils following earlier orders dated April 27 and July 12, 2026.
The new tehsils are Aryan Valley in Sham district, Sodh in Kargil, Phey in Zanskar, Thasgam in Drass and Himya in Changthang.
Aryan Valley tehsil, headquartered at Dha-Bema, comprises Dha-Bema, Hanu, Garkone and Darchiks. Sodh tehsil, with headquarters at Yourbaltak, includes Yourbaltak, Akchamal, Apatee, Tumail, Barchey, Silmoo, Lalung and Chulichan.
Phey tehsil, headquartered at Phey, covers Rangdum, Phey, Remala-Skagam, Hamiling, Abran, Akshow, Atting, Rantaksha and Tungri. Thasgam tehsil, with headquarters at Thasgam, comprises Thasgam, Jasgund, Kharboo and Shamisha.
Himya tehsil, headquartered at Himya, includes Tukla, Liktse, Tarchit, Kungyam, Teri and Himya.
The notification provides for the transfer of specified revenue villages from their existing tehsils to the newly constituted administrative units, with the changes taking effect from the date of publication in the official Gazette.
In another move aimed at addressing a long-standing public demand, the administration entrusted the powers of the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Durbuk, to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Durbuk. The measure is intended to improve access to administrative services and ensure their timely delivery to residents.
The latest decisions mark a significant expansion of Ladakh's administrative structure, with the stated objective of bringing governance closer to people and facilitating more effective delivery of public services across the Union Territory.

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