J&K Land Grant Rules 2022 | 23 Dec 2022

Why in News?

Recently, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has notified “J&K Land Grant Rules 2022” which has ended the owners right to hold on to properties on lease in the Union Territory (U.T.) and plans to outsource these properties afresh online.

What are the Key Features of J&K Land Grant Rules 2022?

• The new laws replaced “J&K Land Grants Rules 1960”, which had liberal lease policy such as 99-year lease period and extendable.
  • Most hotels at famous tourist places in the Valley and prime commercial structures in twin capitals of Jammu and Srinagar are on lease land.
• The new laws state that all leases, except the subsisting or expired residential leases, including lease granted under the J&K Land Grants Rules 1960, notified area (All Development Authorities set in tourism sector) Land Grants Rules, 2007 and leases expired or determined prior to the coming into force of these rules or issued under these rules shall not be renewed and shall stand determined.
  • The Lieutenant Governor administration plans to hold a fresh online auction to outsource these lease properties.
• All the outgoing lessees would immediately hand over the possession of the land taken on lease to the government, failing which the outgoing lessee shall be evicted.
• J&K’s land laws were regressive.

Why are the Rules being Opposed?

• Few Political Parties have argued that the newly-introduced Land Grant Rules-2022 will push six to seven lakh people into the unemployment bracket and will only pave the way for millionaires and capitalists from outside to buy hotels and commercial establishments in J&K.
  • The fresh Land Grant Rules-2022 will end the rights of present owners and sell it at market price. No local businessman has purchasing power compared to millionaires and billionaires from the rest of the country.
• The present owners with bank loans will be forced to sell their houses to repay their loans.
  • The current bank borrowing from the J&K Bank stands at ₹60,000 crore, an indicator of the loans raised by locals to survive the turbulent times since 1990s.

What are Administrations' Claims for the Rules?

• The J&K Administration has claimed that no poor will be impacted by the amendments to the land laws. Rule of law outside has to be implemented here too.
• There were properties worth ₹100 crore, which were being leased for ₹ 5 as payment. Only such people are worried by the amendments. New rules are to bring J&K at par with the rest of the country.
• Lieutenant Governor claimed that the land laws in J&K were regressive and were not framed keeping in view the interests of the common masses. Around 40% - 45% cases in various courts are due to land disputes only.

Source: TH