PDP Set To Table Controversial Land Rights Bill In J&K upcoming Assembly Session | Image:
ANI
October 06: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is gearing up to table the Jammu and Kashmir Land Rights and Regularisation Bill, 2025, in the upcoming autumn session of the legislative assembly, a move that could reignite tensions over land ownership in the union territory.
The bill aims to vest ownership rights in long-term occupants of state land, echoing the now-defunct Roshni Act of 2001, and is expected to spark heated discussions on transparency, ecological safeguards, and the lingering fallout from the 2019 abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A.
The autumn session, summoned by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, is slated to commence on October 23 in Srinagar and is anticipated to last five to seven sittings. PDP sources indicate the party plans to push the legislation as a means to recognize legal ownership for occupants in continuous possession for at least 30 years, promote tourism-related development, protect ecologically sensitive areas, and ensure fair assessment of circle fees.
“This is about fairness and transparency in land transfers. Long-term occupants deserve rights, especially after the chaos unleashed post-2019,” a senior PDP leader told Republic on condition of anonymity. The party’s stance, as per its leaders, aligns with its long-held opposition to the abrogation of Article 370, which it has repeatedly called “illegal” and a blow to local rights.
Pertinently, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has been vocal on the issue, warning in the past that the abrogation has put “our identity, our land, our jobs” at risk. PDP has consistently demanded the restoration of special status, arguing that the revocation stripped away protections against outsiders acquiring land and jobs, leading to what they term a dilution of Kashmiri identity.
National Conference (NC), PDP’s political rival yet ally in opposing the abrogation, shares similar concerns on land rights. NC leaders have vowed to fight for the reinstatement of Articles 370 and 35A, viewing them as essential to safeguarding local land ownership and preventing demographic shifts.
Omar Abdullah, NC’s vice president and sitting chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has repeatedly been public about the existential threats posed by the changes. In 2024, he stated that the people of Jammu and Kashmir face a “threat to our very existence because of the removal of Article 370”.
Following the Supreme Cour
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