The Union Territory administration in Ladakh has announced the establishment of an Autonomous Hill Development Council (AHDC) for each of its seven districts, significantly expanding democratic decentralisation. This move extends elected local self-governance beyond Leh and Kargil, with a proposed Union Territory-level body under a customised Article 371 framework to oversee these councils.
Curfew has been imposed in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills district as a precautionary measure following violent protests and police firing in the neighbouring West Garo Hills district during district council elections.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma briefed Governor CH Vijayashankar on the law and order situation in the Garo Hills region following recent violence related to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections.
The Centre has established a committee to draft an agreement and finalise modalities for a 'permanent political solution' to the Gorkha identity issue in the Darjeeling hills and adjoining areas, following a tripartite meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gorkha leaders, and the West Bengal government.
Meghalaya's opposition leader, Mukul Sangma, has called for an independent inquiry into the Garo Hills violence, citing the need for accountability and due process to restore public confidence.
Of the 26 seats for which elections were held on October 4, results of 20 seats have been declared so far, they said.
Meghalaya's Leader of the Opposition, Mukul Sangma, has filed a First Information Report (FIR) against former legislator Estamur Momin over an allegedly provocative speech concerning the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections.
Opening of the Kailash Mansarovar yatra route from Ladakh, royalty in hydro power projects and a multi-purpose tunnel through Khardongla were some of the demands put forth by Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council before Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Leh on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by Ladakh Affairs Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, CAPD Minister Qamar Ali Akhoon and officers of the district administration.
The Union Territory of Ladakh created history by successfully conducting its maiden 21-km trail running event in sub-zero temperature at 13,862 feet high Pangong Tso.
The BJP's decision to drop Namgyal comes amid resentment towards the ruling party among a section of Buddhists in Leh.
The first ever bus service from Kargil to Jammu has been started by the Jammu and Kashmir government. The Kargil-Jammu bus service was flagged off by Qamar Ali Akhoon, Advisor to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, on Wednesday, in the presence of Chief Executive Councillor Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil Kacho Ahmad Ali Khan, an official spokesman said.
With fresh reports of incursion in Ladakh, Nawang Norboo, Councillor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council on Tuesday said that Chinese troops frequently intrude into Indian territory and even threaten Indian shepherds.
Ladakh MP Thupstan Chhewang on Chinese incursions, the environment and effects of global warming in Ladakh and the relations between the Muslim and Buddhist populations.
Laying foundation stone for a 44 MW power project in Kargil, the prime minister said converting the Srinagar-Leh road into a national highway is also under consideration.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the August 5 notification of the election department of the Union territory of Ladakh for the hill council polls and ordered issuance of a fresh election schedule within a week.
The situation is well under control and no untoward incident has been reported from any part of the district.
People had lined up on the either side of the road to greet the President, who drove to the circuit house from the airport.
'Ladakh has become a hollow UT.' 'Bureaucrats from Delhi rule Ladakh and there is no attention paid to the grievances of the people.'
'Our villagers used to go up to Finger 4 and Finger 6, but today the Chinese are there.' 'Since April 2020, Chinese troops have blocked Indian troops from reaching at least ten patrolling points running from the Depsang plains in the north to Pangong Tso lake in the south.'
The former Congress president is currently on a tour of Ladakh -- his first since the region was made a Union territory after being carved out of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019 -- and is likely to visit Kargil next week.
Gandhi, who is currently on a tour of the Union Territory of Ladakh, covered a distance of about 130 km to reach Lamayuru where he will stay overnight before moving to Zanskar, a tehsil of Kargil district, on Wednesday. He will be in Kargil town on Thursday.
Climate activist Soman Wangchuk announced on Sunday that he will launch a 28-day fast on Independence Day if the government does not invite Ladakh authorities for talks on demands for statehood and constitutional protection for the union territory.
The army has been asked by the Jammu and Kashmir government to vacate lands in Khurbathang Plateau of Ladakh which it had been using for firing, operational and logistic needs.
The 14-member delegation of the Apex Body Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance met the high-powered committee for Ladakh headed by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk called off his hunger strike as protests for Ladakh statehood and Sixth Schedule extension turned violent. The BJP office was set on fire, vehicles were torched, and clashes erupted, leading to the imposition of prohibitory orders.
What should have been a direct contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress in the Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency is now a three-corner fight with an alliance of local groups fielding an Independent to challenge the national parties.
Kargil observed it as a 'black day' and leaders in Leh seeing it as an opportunity for development.
Environmental activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk accused the BJP of reneging on its promise of including Ladakh under the sixth schedule.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ladakh MP revealed his reason to quit the BJP and resign from the Lok Sabha ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The ministry said the high powered committee for Ladakh headed by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai has been working actively with representatives of the ABL and the KDA and significant progress has been made.
"The new districts, namely Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang, will take the benefits meant for the people to their doorsteps by bolstering governance in every nook and cranny," he said.
The action against Zakir Hussain, a councillor from Shakar constituency in Kargil district, followed registration of a first information report against him by police on Friday even as the councillor submitted a public apology over his remarks, the officials said.
'We are not secessionists, we want to coexist with our countrymen but not on the terms that will strip us off our dignity and a right to peaceful existence.'
'If the BJP does not change its stand, we will hope that those who are in favour of protecting Ladakh come to power.'
'The Government of India should start a dialogue with the people of Ladakh, but the trouble is they are not willing to listen to our grievances.'
The dedication of Indian soldiers and veterans towards the country is an 'exemplary example', Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday soon after arriving in Ladakh on a three-day visit aimed at taking stock of India's military preparedness in the region in the face of a prolonged border row with China.
'In a complex situation a PM coming was not necessary'
Before repeal of Article 370 and Article 35-A in August last year, non-residents could not buy any immovable property in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the fresh changes have paved the way for non-residents to buy land in the union territory.
