Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday announced that her party has submitted the Jammu and Kashmir Land Rights and Regularisation Bill, 2025 to the Legislative Assembly for discussion in the upcoming session.
Also referred to as the “Anti-Bulldozer Bill,” the proposed legislation seeks to regularise land holdings of individuals, families, and institutions who have been in continuous possession of their land for over 30 years. Mehbooba said the bill aims to secure ownership rights, prevent arbitrary evictions, and promote social and economic stability across the region.
Addressing reporters in Srinagar, the former chief minister highlighted the ongoing land and lease crisis in Gulmarg and other parts of Kashmir, noting that the Land Grant Rules, 2022, have halted the renewal of old leases. As a result, dozens of hotels operating on expired leases face eviction or government takeover through auction.
She revealed that nearly 60 hotels in Gulmarg, including heritage establishments like Nedous and Highlands Park, have received takeover notices from the Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA). Many hoteliers, she added, are facing severe financial distress, legal uncertainty, and threats to their livelihoods.
Mehbooba criticised the government for lacking a clear policy on lease renewal and land regularisation, saying this uncertainty has severely impacted tourism, local employment, and investor confidence in Kashmir’s hospitality sector.
Despite repeated assurances from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to protect land rights, no concrete legal or policy measures have been introduced to safeguard people’s interests, she said.
The PDP leader added that while her party’s MLAs have formally submitted the bill to the Assembly Secretariat, the government should either adopt and implement it or bring forward its own version—one that the PDP would fully support.
She pointed out that numerous hotels, businesses, and farmers across Jammu and Kashmir continue to operate or live on government lands, some for decades, without ownership rights.
Recalling past efforts, Mehbooba said the Jammu and Kashmir State Land (Vesting of Ownership to Occupants) Act, 2001—popularly known as the Roshni Act—had sought to grant ownership rights to long-term occupants upon payment to the government. However, the law was struck down by the High Court in 2020.
Following the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, the government declined to renew several leases and launched an eviction drive in 2022 against unauthorised occupants.
Mehbooba said the PDP’s private member bill is intended to safeguard the rights and livelihoods of long-term land occupants across Jammu and Kashmir.
