XIX-DISTRICT LEH

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CHAPTER – XIX

DISTRICT LEH

19.1 Leh District is the eastern most part of Ladakh region which in the days of yore was a part of greater Ladakh spread over from Kailash-Mansarover to Dardistan. Area wise Leh is the largest District of the State, but most of the land is barren cold desert. It is said that ancient inhabitants of Ladakh were Dards, an Indo-Aryan race, but migration from Tibet more than thousand years ago over-whelmed the culture of Dards which mopped up their racial characters and today’s population seems to be mostly of Tibetian origin.

19.2 Leh is the land of many important lakes, like Pangong, Tsomo-Riri etc. and springs, among which the famous are Sulphur spring of Panamic (Nobra), Chumathang and Puga of Changthang area. Many other mineral springs are also found in some remote parts of the District, water of which is used by the people of the region for medicinal purposes to prevent and cure themselves from many diseases. Altitude in the District varies from place to place which is the main factor affecting the local climate. 


The winter temperature in certain areas touches as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius. Sub-zero temperature prevails from December to February, whereas zero degree temperature is experienced during rest of winter months. The famous river Indus flows in a northwestern direction between Ladakh and Zanskar ranges through this District. Most of the irrigation is done through canals/kuhals which are mostly based on gravity. These water channels are a fine example of local skill in carrying water through rough land, sand and rocks. 


However of late, modern irrigation technology is being used in construction of big canals for irrigation and power generation purposes, important among which are Stakna, Igo-Phey and Hunder hydel, irrigation and water supply schemes in the District.

19.3 The rugged terrain of the District was traversed for centuries in carrying textiles, spices, raw silk, carpets, raw pashmina etc. and perhaps due to this fact it became recognized as best trade route between Punjab and Central Asia commonly known as ‘Silk Route’.

19.4 Earlier, the entire Ladakh region comprised one District with its headquarter at Leh, but in the year 1979 when administrative reorganization was carried out in the State, Ladakh District was divided into two Districts of Leh and Kargil.

19.5 Leh District comprises only one Tehsil having 112 villages with a population of 1,17,232 as per 2001 census. The District has the lowest population density in the State which is three persons per sq. km. Leh is a hub of tourism, for foreign tourists who get attracted by vast naked desert plains and mountains, and particularly during a number of Buddhist festivals when colorful religious ceremonies are performed in the midst of large gatherings.

TEHSIL KHALSI

19.6 Khalsi has been a very important station prior to 1947 because of its central location, connecting with main route to Leh, Kargil and Skardo and its maintaining a telephone Sub-Station connected with its head office at Leh for providing telephone service to traders, travellers and needy people in the district of Ladakh and outside the District upto Srinagar. 


Now Khalsi is a Sub-Divisional head quarter and the geographical area of the Sub-Division extends to Chorbatla covering Hanu/Dha area in the north-west and touches Zanskar-Nimo River near Zingla village of Zanskar Sub- Division in the south, Nubra Sub-Division in the North and Shakerchiktan Niabat of Kargil District in the west. Towards east lies the District head quarter Leh. It comprises seven Patwar Halqas and twenty three Revenue villages.

19.7 All the departments of the government at Khalsi including Public Works, Rural Development, Social welfare, Education, Health etc are functioning in the Sub- Division under the supervision of an SDM, headquartered at Khalsi. The people of the Sub-Division have been facing hardships for want of a Tehsil office although the district administration had delegated some powers of the Tehsildar like issue of ST certificates, PRCs and attestation of mutations etc. to the SDM Khalsi to mitigate the hardships of the people. This arrangement also was not adequate for want of trained and qualified office and field staff of the revenue department as also non availability of revenue records at Khalsi.

19.8 The Government sanctioned a Tehsil at Khalsi vide Government order referred to in chapter –I. It will now have a full fledged Tehsil office with qualified staff for the field and office with all other infrastructure, including availability and maintenance of revenue records according to the norms of the Revenue Department. The SDM Khalsi can be relieved of the duties of the Tehsildar and would be free to concentrate on developmental activities and touring the Sub-Division especially in the far-flung and snowbound areas which have remained neglected in development matters.

19.9 Khalsi is mainly fruit/vegetables growing area and well connected with the market through the national highway towards Leh and Kargil. Similarly the snow bound mountainous areas like that of Lingshet, Dibling, Yulchung and Photoksar are of tourists and trekkers attraction during the summer months. 


The people of these areas are reasonably benefited by these travellers through guides services, trekking facilities and the food etc. they provide to them. Apart from the Alchi monastery, this area has Lamayuru, Skurbochan and Razong monasteries which have significant religious tourism importance.

19.10 On 23rd of August 2006 the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, who is Ex- Officio member of the Committee, convened a meeting at Khalsi which was attended by the Deputy Commissioners of Leh and Kargil and the member of the Committee from Ladakh. He discussed the urgency of the demarcation work and stressed for smooth working of the Sub-Committee office at Leh with their full support.

19.11 The Committee again visited Khalsi in the second week of September, 2006. Numberdars, Sarpanches, Panches, prominent citizens of the Khalsi Sub-Division welcomed the Committee in a reception meeting held at Khalsi, which was also attended by the Deputy Commissioner Leh and some senior officers of the Sub-Division. During interaction in the meeting the people expressed their gratitude to the Government for sanctioning Khalsi Tehsil. 


They collectively mentioned that there was no objection/reservations regarding the jurisdiction of the Tehsil, which should be coterminus with the jurisdiction of the SDM Khalsi that incidentally covers the entire area of Khalsi C.D.Block. However, it was mentioned that some people of Likir village had some confusion regarding joining Leh or Khalsi Tehsil. This confusion too was cleared later in Sub-Committee’s office at Leh when the residents of Likir village unanimously demanded through a representation that they are part of Leh Tehsil and would like to remain so.

19.12 The Committee had a meeting with Ladakh Hill Development Council Leh on the next day. They supported the sanction of the two Tehsils, one for Khalsi and other for Nubra and thanked the State Government for this move. A demand was also put up for creation of one more district out of present Leh District and one more Tehsil for Nyoma region

19.13 The Committee also interacted with MLA, MLC from Leh, prominent citizens and public representatives. Taking all relevant factors into consideration it is recommended that the Khalsi Tehsil should be co-terminus with the boundaries of the Khalsi C.D.Block which, as mentioned earlier, is also the jurisdiction of the SDM Khalsi. It shall consist of seven Patwar Halqas and twenty three villages. 

The Revenue details regarding Patwar Halqas and names of villages are appended as follows:-

i. List of Patwar Halqas/Villages – Appendix XIX-1

ii. Map of the Tehsil – Appendix XIX-2

TEHSIL NUBRA

19.14 Nubra Sub-Division with its headquarter at Diskit and the newly created Nubra Tehsil with its headquarter at Sumur are in the area confined to the Line of Control near Tiakshi-Thang in the North, Waris-la on the South, Karakuram Range in the East and Kherdong-la mountain range parallel to Khalsi Sub-Division on the South- West. The area comprises seven Patwar Halqas and twenty eight revenue villages. 


The three villages namely Tiakshi, Chulungka and Turtuk constitute the present Turtuk Niabat which were liberated from Pakistani occupation in the year 1971. Nubra subdivision is prominent because of the old Silk Route passing through Nubra Valley to Leh and for the location of world famous Siachen Glacier – The World’s Highest Battle Field. The Villages in Nubra sub division are settled astride the banks of Nubra and Shyok Rivers flowing in different directions.

19.15 The Government has sanctioned the headquarter of the newly sanctioned Tehsil, vide Government order mentioned in Chapter-I, at Sumur village, 32 kms from Diskit the Sub Divisional headquarters, instead of Diskit where almost all the departments are headquartered with their jurisdiction over the whole sub-division. Almost all the people living in Shyok Valley including Executive Councilors and majority of Councilors of the Sub-Division have some reservations to have headquarter of the newly created Tehsil at Sumur. The inhabitants of Panamik-Sumur area i.e. Nubra Valley, want the Tehsil headquarter fixed at Sumur as sanctioned by the government.

The Shyok Valley demand for the Tehsil headquarter to be at Diskit is based on the arguments that most of the departments of Sub-Division including that of the SDM Nubra being located there, it would have a compact administrative set up for the convenience of the people of the Sub-Division.

19.16 On the arrival of the Committee on tour to Leh district from 11-09-2006 to 13-09-2006 the representatives of both the groups of Sumur-Panamik area and the Diskit-Turtuk area, came to Leh with representations to press their demands. The Committee and the Deputy Commissioner, Leh heard their representations one by one.

19.17 The Committee also had a meeting with the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh in their office on 12-09-2006 which was attended by Deputy Commissioner, Leh as well. The Chief Executive Councilor and the Members of the LAHDC welcomed the decisions of the Govt. sanctioning the two Tehsils–Khalsi and Sumur. However, they mentioned that at the state level they were not given the due share out of the total increased member of Districts and Tehsils. It may be mentioned here that the LAHDC had no suggestion/reservation regarding location of the Tehsil headquarter. The Committee also interacted with Legislators and prominent citizens of Leh.

19.18 The member of the Committee from Ladakh toured Nubra Sub-Division from 02-11-2006 to 5-11-2006 for four days and met deputations at Diskit, Bogdang, Turtuk, Panamik and Sumur and interacted with them. He did not find any change in the attitude of the people of both Shyok and Nubra valleys regarding Tehsil headquarter at Sumur.

19.19 Taking into consideration all relevant factors, the Committee recommends that the boundaries of Nubra Tehsil be that of the current jurisdiction of SDM Nubra, which incidentally is also co-terminus with C.D. Block Nubra. Thus, the new Tehsil Nubra shall comprise seven Patwar Halqas and twenty eight villages. Details of Patwar Halqas and villages are contained in Appendix XIX-3, while the map indicating boundaries is marked as Appendix XIX-4.

APPENDIX XIX – 1

DISTRICT – LEH

TEHSIL – KHALSI

S.No. Name of Patwar Halqas Name of Villages

1. Dha i. Hanu

ii. Dha

2. Skurbochan i. Skurbochan

ii. Domkher

3. Khalsi i. Ledo

ii. Takmachik

iii. Khalsi

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iv. Skindyang

v. Nurla

4. Timisgam i. Jia

ii. Timisgam

5. Saspol i. Himisshokpachan

ii. Suspochey

iii. Saspol

iv. Alchi

v. Tar Hipti

vi. Geramangu

6. Lamayuru i. Lamayuru

ii. Kanji

iii. Wanla

7. Lingshet i. Lingshet

ii. Photoksar

iii. Yulchong

Total 7 Patwar Halqas 23 Villages

APPENDIX XIX – 2

MAP SHOWING THE BOUNDARIES OF TEHSIL KHALSI

APPENDIX XIX – 3

DISTRICT – LEH

TEHSIL – NUBRA

S.No. Name of Patwar Halqas Name of Villages

1. Khardong i. Digar

ii. Khardong

iii. Khema Khongu

iv. Tanyar

2. Disket i. Disket

ii. Kalsar

iii. Lagjung

3. Sumur i. Chaushan Charasa

ii. Jiger

iii. Sumur

4. Panamik i. Panamik

ii. Kobed

iii. Khemi

5. Hunder i. Skumpuk

ii. Partapur

iii. Hunder

iv. Hunder Dok

6. Udmaro i. Largiab

ii. Skuru

iii. Bogdang

iv. Waris –Phastan

v. Udmaro

vi. Hundori

vii. Tarchey

7. Turtuk i. Chunlingkha

ii. Jhang

iii. Tiakshi

iv. Turtuk

Total 7 Patwar Halqas 28 Villages

APPENDIX XIX – 4

MAP SHOWING THE BOUNDARIES OF TEHSIL NUBRA