ibn sultan
Jammu, March 23: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) legislator Waheed-Ur-Rehman Para has introduced a private member’s bill in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly seeking a comprehensive reorganization of administrative divisions, districts, sub-divisions and tehsils across the Union Territory, officials said.
The bill, titled “The Jammu and Kashmir Territorial Administrative Reorganisation Bill, 2026,” proposes the creation of new administrative divisions, including a Chenab Division with headquarters at Doda and a Pir Panjal Division with headquarters at Rajouri.
The proposal is significant as it seeks to restructure the existing administrative framework to address long-standing concerns related to governance in geographically vast and difficult terrains, while aiming to improve service delivery and regional balance.
According to the draft legislation, the government would be empowered to assign districts to Jammu, Kashmir, Chenab or Pir Panjal divisions through official notifications, keeping in view geographical continuity, administrative convenience, socio-cultural cohesion and balanced regional development.
In the Kashmir division, the bill proposes the creation of several new districts, including Tral–Awantipora Hill District, Ashmuqam–Pahalgam Hill District, Beerwah District, Sopore District, Handwara District, Gurez District, Tangdhar–Karnah Hill District and Noorabad Hill District.
For the Jammu division, the proposed districts include Nowshera Hill District, Bhaderwah Hill District, Banihal Hill District, Thathri Hill District, Akhnoor Hill District, Billawar Hill District, Kotranka Hill District and Mendhar Hill District.
Many of the proposed units have been designated as hill districts, reflecting the focus on targeted administrative planning in mountainous and remote areas, officials said.
The bill has been submitted to the Assembly Secretariat for consideration during the ongoing Budget Session, which is scheduled to resume on March 27 after a five-week recess following its first phase held between February 2 and 20.
During the earlier phase of the session, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah presented the Budget on February 6, and the House passed departmental grants after deliberations.
As per the notified schedule, March 30 and April 1 have been earmarked for private members’ bills, while March 31 and April 2 are reserved for private members’ resolutions. The session is expected to conclude on April 4. [KNT]
