KDA objects to Ladakh Nautor land rules, warns of mistrust with Centre, impact on poor landowners

SRINAGAR: A day after Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena approved rules for regularisation of 'Nautor' lands in the Union Territory, paving the way for thousands of eligible beneficiaries to secure proprietary rights over barren land, the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) raised.

Key points

• Ladakh LG had on Friday approved the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Nautor Regularisation) Rules, 2026.
• According to the Rules, the authority to allot Nautor land is now vested in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) in all seven districts.
• As per the rules, regularisation will be considered only where occupation existed before the cut-off date of October 27, 2020.
• Land regularised under the Rules may be mortgaged in favour of Scheduled Banks, Financial Institutions and Government-backed lending agencies, for development of the land, the rules states.
• For Nautor land beyond the 10-acre limit, the proprietary rights may be allotted on a leasehold basis, in accordance with the Rules.

It additionally maintained that such decisions would impact the dialogue with the Centre and create mistrust between the administration and Ladakhis.

KDA co-chairman Sajjad Kargili raised serious reservations concerning the implications of the new land policy, particularly for ordinary and economically weaker landowners.

"Under Ailan No. 38, land was earlier allotted to eligible individuals against a nominal administration fee. Under the new system, landowners may now have to purchase the same land from the administration by paying a substantial amount, creating a heavy financial burden on ordinary families, " he stated.

Claiming that the policy may disproportionately affect the poor, Kargili remarked those whose land is already recorded in the revenue records may be able to purchase it from the administration if they have the financial means. "But the question is: How will a poor landowner arrange such a large amount?"

"More seriously, there are individuals who have developed and cultivated land at their own expense, but whose land was never entered in the revenue records due to lack of awareness or procedural shortcomings. Under the new law, such individuals could potentially lose their land altogether, " he stated.

Meanwhile, the KDA co-chairman questioned how the new law is more beneficial to landowners than 'Nautor' Ailan No. 38.

"If landowners who had their mutations/land transfers verified under Ailan No. 38 are still required to pay a substantial amount to retain or acquire their land, then what meaningful legal or financial benefit does that verification actually provide?, " Kargili remarked.

"The government must revoke such decisions which has been taken unilaterally and ensure that no poor or genuine landowner is deprived of land they have lawfully possessed, cultivated and developed over the years, " he remarked, adding that a fair land policy must protect ordinary people-not place an unbearable financial burden on them.

According to Kargili further, while KDA and Leh Apex Body (LAB) are in discussions with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on safeguards for land, such decisions would impact the dialogue and create mistrust between the administration and the Ladakhi individuals.

Ladakh LG had on Friday approved the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Nautor Regularisation) Rules, 2026. It provide a comprehensive framework for granting proprietary rights and ownership of up to 10 acres of eligible Nautor land holdings to occupants throughout all seven districts of Ladakh.

In practice, the rules will now be placed in the public domain for a two-week consultation period before their final notification.

Nautor land refers to barren or wasteland owned by the administration that was earlier allotted to individuals for cultivation or other productive apply. More than 60, 000 acres of land in Ladakh is presently recorded in revenue records as Nautor holdings.

"For Nautor land beyond the 10-acre limit, the proprietary rights may be allotted on a leasehold basis, in accordance with the Rules. The Rules offer a one-time regularisation mechanism for Nautor land, occupied before the repeal of the J&K Tenancy Act, 1980, on October 27, 2020. Any possession of Nautor land after this cut-off date will be ineligible for regularization, " an official spokesman remarked.

Until now, the absence of a clear and uniform legal framework had restricted the effective utilisation of Nautor land. Landholders with limited or non-proprietary rights were unable to employ the land as a financial asset, including for purposes such as obtaining loans against it.

"Under Section 42 of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils Act, 1997, land within the district stands transferred to the Council, while clause (I) of Section 23 vests executive powers in the Council in relation to the allotment, use and occupation of land vested in it, " the Rules read.

According to the LG, the rules provide much-needed legal certainty to genuine Nautor landholders, bring transparency and accountability to the regularisation process, establish uniform procedures throughout the Union Territory and, meanwhile, safeguard land vested in LAHDCs from encroachment and unauthorised claims.

According to the Nautor Regularisation Rules, 2026, genuine eligible Nautor holders may be granted proprietary rights over up to 10 acres, with the amount payable for "proprietary right" set at the market rate notified by the administration.

Proprietary rights over Nautor land beyond the 10-acre limit may be allotted on a leasehold basis, in accordance with the Rules. For leasehold allotments, the premium will be 80% of the notified market rate.

For Gair Mustaqil holdings, field verification by revenue authorities will be mandatory to establish the identity of the occupant, area under occupation, nature and extent of cultivation, date of possession and whether the occupation existed before the cut-off date.

In the case of Mustaqil landholdings, the respective LAHDC will decide whether field verification is required based on ground realities.

"Nautor land mutated prior to the cut-off date where a change in land employ has taken place may additionally be regularised, subject to formal approval of the change in land employ by the Competent Authority. Land regularised under the Rules may be mortgaged in favour of Scheduled Banks, Financial Institutions and Government-backed lending agencies, for development of the land, " the rules states.

In short, KDA objects to Ladakh Nautor land rules, warns of mistrust with Centre, is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.