The Union territory of Ladakh will be directly controlled by the central government which will administer the high-altitude region through the LG.
Srinagar: After three months Jammu and Kashmir were served a jolt in the form of the abrogation of Article 370, the strife-torn state ceased to exist on Wednesday midnight when the clock struck 12 midnight. India now has one less state and two new Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The huge change of status for Jammu and Kashmir comes 86 days after the Centre scrapped the special status of the state.
This is for the first time in the history of India that a state is being converted into two Union Territories. The total number of states in the country will now be 28, while the total UTs will go up to nine.
The two Lieutenant Governors will have swearing-in ceremony first and then Leh where Mathur would be administered the oath of office followed by that of Murmu in Srinagar.
RK Mathur sworn in as first Lieutenant Governor of Union territory of #Ladakh pic.twitter.com/jrYBWnjhGk
— Doordarshan News (@DDNewsLive) October 31, 2019
With this, the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir and the Ranbir Penal Code will cease to exist from Thursday, when the nation celebrates ‘National Unity Day’ to mark the birth anniversary of the country’s first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who is credited for the merger of over 560 states into the Union of India.
Both Murmu and Mathur will be sworn-in by Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Gita Mittal.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, states that the appointed day for the two Union territories is October 31 and these will come into existence at midnight (Wednesday-Thursday).
The announcement of the abrogation of the state’s special status and its bifurcation was made in Rajya Sabha on August 5.
Shri RK Mathur, the Lieutenant Governor of the newly formed Union Territory of #Ladakh, taking oath. pic.twitter.com/Y57ZV1vfY0
— Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) October 31, 2019
The Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir will have a legislature like Puducherry while Ladakh will be Union territory without legislature like Chandigarh and both will be headed by two separate lieutenant governors (LG), as per the Act.
The central government will hold direct control of the police and the law and order in Jammu and Kashmir from Thursday when it becomes a Union territory, while the land will be under the elected government there.
The Union territory of Ladakh will be directly controlled by the central government which will administer the high-altitude region through the LG
The senior IAS officer Umang Narula was appointed an advisor to Ladakh’s Lt Governor and S S Khandare police head of the Union Territory.
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