Srinagar, Mar 23 (NVI): People’s Democratic Party (PDP) legislator Waheed Para has introduced a private member’s bill in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly seeking a structured legal framework for the reorganisation of administrative units across the Union Territory.
The proposed legislation, titled The Jammu and Kashmir Territorial Administrative Reorganisation Bill, 2026, calls for the creation of additional administrative divisions, including a separate Chenab Division with headquarters at Doda and a Pir Panjal Division with headquarters at Rajouri, in addition to the existing Jammu and Kashmir divisions.
The bill also proposes the formation of several new districts. In the Kashmir division, these include Tral–Awantipora Hill District, Ashmuqam Hill District, Beerwah, Sopore, Handwara, Gurez, Tangdhar–Karnah Hill District and Norabad Hill District.
In the Jammu division, the proposed districts include Nowshera, Bhaderwah, Banihal, Thathri, Akhnoor, Billawar, Kotranka and Mendhar, with several designated as hill districts to address administrative challenges in difficult terrain.
According to the draft, the government would be empowered to notify the allocation of districts among Jammu, Kashmir, Chenab and Pir Panjal divisions, ensuring geographical continuity, administrative feasibility and balanced regional development.
The bill aims to address governance challenges arising from vast geography and uneven development by introducing a transparent mechanism for the creation of new administrative units, with a focus on decentralisation and improved service delivery.
The proposal has been submitted to the Assembly Secretariat during the ongoing Budget Session, which is scheduled to resume on March 27 and conclude on April 4. Private members’ bills and resolutions will be taken up on designated days, officials said.(NVI)
