J&K ceases to be state, 2 UTs come into effect

Arun Joshi

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Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 30 

The state of Jammu and Kashmir will cease to exist from midnight with the August 5 announcement on its bifurcation into two union territories coming into effect from Thursday.

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This historic change — for the first time a state will be downgraded to two UTs — will alter the region’s  geography, demography and politics with the two Lt-Governors for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh taking oath on Thursday.

The announcement on the creation of two UTs was made in Parliament by Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with the scrapping of Article 370 that granted special status to the state. Later, the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, was passed.

President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill on August 9. The UT of J&K will have a 107-member Assembly while the UT of Ladakh will have no Assembly. All powers of police, public order and other major decisions will rest with the Lt-Governors of the two UTs. 

Girish Chandra Murmu will be the first Lt-Governor of J&K and former bureaucrat RK Mathur will be Lt-Governor for the UT of Ladakh bordering China and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Mathur had retired as Defence Secretary.

It is significant that the new Lt-Governor for J&K UT will take oath in Srinagar, the summer capital, even when the seat of governance was shifted to winter capital Jammu last week. This is to underscore the point that Kashmir has been integrated fully with India. With the change in status, the UT will be directly administered by the Centre.