SRINAGAR: Land ownership and lease laws are set to dominate the upcoming short session of J&K assembly in Srinagar, with rival bills from National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) taking aim at the Union territory’s contentious land regime.
The spotlight is on Gulmarg, where leases for most hotels have expired and owners face eviction. Of 59 hotels in the touristy town, 55 have seen their leases lapse. The issue flared after J&K administration on August 3 sealed Nedous Hotel , a colonial-era property linked to CM Omar Abdullah’s grandmother, following a 24-hour eviction notice.
NC has submitted the J&K Land Grants (Restoration and Protection) Bill, 2025, a private member’s bill introduced by party chief spokesperson and legislator Tanvir Sadiq . The draft seeks to repeal the J&K Land Grant Rules, 2022, and restore the original 1960 framework that governed land leases across the region.
Sadiq said the bill aims to “safeguard the rights of existing leaseholders, protect local businesses, and ensure govt land serves the people of J&K rather than speculative or non-local interests”.
The party’s decision to introduce it as a private member’s bill, despite holding a majority in the assembly, has raised questions within political circles.
Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP has also drafted its own legislation, the J&K Land Rights and Regularisation Bill , 2025, which she described as an “anti-bulldozer bill”. The proposal seeks to regularise land holdings of people, families, and institutions in continuous possession for over 30 years, preventing arbitrary evictions and providing ownership security.
Land rights have become one of J&K’s most charged political flashpoints since the abrogation of articles 370 and 35A in 2019, which stripped the region of its special status. Before 2019, land lease and ownership rules restricted allotments to permanent residents, and “outsiders” were barred from buying property in J&K and Ladakh.
The 2022 land grant rules replaced those protections, ending automatic lease renewals and allowing expired leases to be auctioned through open bidding to any Indian citizen.
With dozens of Gulmarg properties now in limbo and hoteliers fearing more takeovers, the twin land bills have reignited the debate over who controls J&K’s most prized real estate.
The spotlight is on Gulmarg, where leases for most hotels have expired and owners face eviction. Of 59 hotels in the touristy town, 55 have seen their leases lapse. The issue flared after J&K administration on August 3 sealed Nedous Hotel , a colonial-era property linked to CM Omar Abdullah’s grandmother, following a 24-hour eviction notice.
NC has submitted the J&K Land Grants (Restoration and Protection) Bill, 2025, a private member’s bill introduced by party chief spokesperson and legislator Tanvir Sadiq . The draft seeks to repeal the J&K Land Grant Rules, 2022, and restore the original 1960 framework that governed land leases across the region.
Sadiq said the bill aims to “safeguard the rights of existing leaseholders, protect local businesses, and ensure govt land serves the people of J&K rather than speculative or non-local interests”.
The party’s decision to introduce it as a private member’s bill, despite holding a majority in the assembly, has raised questions within political circles.
Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP has also drafted its own legislation, the J&K Land Rights and Regularisation Bill , 2025, which she described as an “anti-bulldozer bill”. The proposal seeks to regularise land holdings of people, families, and institutions in continuous possession for over 30 years, preventing arbitrary evictions and providing ownership security.
Land rights have become one of J&K’s most charged political flashpoints since the abrogation of articles 370 and 35A in 2019, which stripped the region of its special status. Before 2019, land lease and ownership rules restricted allotments to permanent residents, and “outsiders” were barred from buying property in J&K and Ladakh.
The 2022 land grant rules replaced those protections, ending automatic lease renewals and allowing expired leases to be auctioned through open bidding to any Indian citizen.
With dozens of Gulmarg properties now in limbo and hoteliers fearing more takeovers, the twin land bills have reignited the debate over who controls J&K’s most prized real estate.
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