Study OAS ·
Ladakh Gets Sankoo as Its Eighth District
What’s the News?
- Sankoo has become the eighth district of the Union Territory of Ladakh, following an announcement by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
- Carved out of Kargil district, Sankoo is located in the Suru Valley region of Ladakh.
- The administration also announced five new tehsils, taking Ladakh’s total to 37 tehsils.
- The reorganisation aims to decentralise administration, strengthen local governance and improve access to government services in remote areas.
Sankoo District?
- Location: Suru Valley, Ladakh.
- Parent District: Kargil.
- District Headquarters: Sankoo.
- Administrative Units: Four tehsils:
- Sankoo
- GM Pore
- TSG
- Taisuru
- Legal Provision: Notified under Section 5 of the Jammu and Kashmir Land Revenue Act, 1996, through Notification S.O. 284.
- The creation fulfils a long-standing demand of local residents for improved administrative accessibility.
Ladakh’s District Reorganisation
- Before 2026, Ladakh had only two districts: Leh and Kargil.
- Five new districts were established in 2026:
- Sham
- Nubra
- Changthang
- Zanskar
- Drass
- With Sankoo's addition, Ladakh now has eight districts.
Five New Tehsils
The five newly announced tehsils are:
| New Tehsil | District |
|---|---|
| Aryan Valley | Sham |
| Sodh | Kargil |
| Phey | Zanskar |
| Thasgam | Drass |
| Himya | Changthang |
- Earlier, 17 additional tehsils had been created, increasing the total from 15 to 32.
- The latest additions raised the number to 37.
Additional Info
- Union Territory of Ladakh:
- Established in 2019 under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
- Capital: Leh.
- Administered by a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the President of India.
- Does not have a Legislative Assembly.
- Constitutional Provisions:
- Article 239: Provides for the administration of Union Territories by the President through an appointed administrator.
- Article 3: Empowers Parliament to form new states and alter the areas, boundaries or names of existing states.
- Suru Valley:
- Located in the Kargil region of Ladakh.
- Drained by the Suru River, a tributary of the Indus River.
- Known for the Nun-Kun mountain massif.
- Local Governance Bodies:
- Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC): Statutory bodies existing in both Leh and Kargil districts to handle local development, though key administrative and financial powers remain with the UT administration.