HT Correspondent

letters@hindustantimes.com

New Delhi : The Union home ministry released the maps of the newly created Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, and the map of India depicting the UTs on Saturday. The maps were prepared by the Survey General of India.

Parliament stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status in August by scrapping Article 370 of the Constitution, and decided to bifurcate the state into the UTs that came into existence on October 31.

Importantly, areas in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) like Muzaffarabad and Mirpur were included in the map of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. Gilgit, Gilgit Wazrat and Chillas were depicted in the map of the UT of Ladakh. In addition, the Ladakh UT includes Leh and Kargil districts.

The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir comprising 14 districts is reorganized into 28 districts. The new districts are Kupwara, Bandipur, Ganderbal, Srinagar, Budgam, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Rajouri, Ramban, Doda, Kishtivar, Samba and Kargil. Out of these, Kargil district was carved out from the area of Leh and Ladakh district.

In 1947, when India became independent , the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir which acceded to India, had these 14 districts — Kathua, Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Anantnag, Baramulla, Poonch, Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Leh and Ladakh, Gilgit, Gilgit Wazarat, Chilhas and Tribal Territory.