Ladakh’s long-pending barren land issue resolved

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Friday approved the regularisation rules of ‘nautor lands’, paving the way for the grant of proprietary rights over eligible barren land and resolving a long-pending issue concerning thousands of landholders in the Union territory.

Nautor land refers to barren or wasteland owned by the Government and historically allotted to individuals for cultivation or other productive purposes. More than 60,000 acres of land in Ladakh is presently recorded in revenue records as nautor holdings.

The new rules in Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Nautor Regularisation) Rules, 2026, provide a comprehensive framework for granting proprietary rights over up to 10 acres of eligible nautor land to occupants across all seven districts of Ladakh, an official spokesperson said.

Nautor land beyond the 10-acre limit may be allotted on a leasehold basis in accordance with the rules.

“The rules introduce a one-time regularisation mechanism for nautor land occupied before October 27, 2020, the date on which the JK tenancy act, 1980 was repealed. Any possession of such land after the cut-off date will not be eligible for regularisation”, he said.

The new framework also vests the authority to allot nautor land with the LAHDCs in all seven districts.

“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 State.

Saxena said the rules seek to strike a balance between protecting the legitimate interests of genuine nautor landholders and safeguarding public and Council land from encroachment and unauthorised claims.

“The nautor issue has a deep historical connection with the lives and livelihoods of the people of Ladakh. For generations, our people have worked hard to bring barren and waste land under cultivation in one of the most challenging agricultural environments in the country,” the lieutenant governor said.

“These rules provide a transparent and uniform mechanism to address this long-pending issue and give legal certainty to genuine holders. It will also enable such land to be utilised as a financial asset, including for availing bank loans,” he added.

The spokesperson said the absence of a clear and uniform legal framework had restricted effective utilisation of nautor land, particularly for holders who did not possess proprietary rights and were consequently unable to use the land as a financial asset, including for obtaining loans.

At the same time, the new framework is aimed at preventing disputes and unauthorised claims over Government and council land, he added.

Under the rules, genuinely eligible nautor holders can be granted proprietary rights up to 10 acres, with the amount payable for proprietary rights fixed at the market rate notified by the administration for the concerned revenue village, he added.

For nautor holdings beyond 10 acres, proprietary rights may be allotted on a leasehold basis, with the premium fixed at 80 per cent 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 prescribed cut-off date, he added.

Gair Mustaqil land refers to a holding where the occupant or cultivator does not have the same permanent proprietary status as a Mustaqil (permanent) holder.

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

The rules stipulate that abandoned land or land found to have been encroached upon will not qualify for allotment and will be liable to eviction, the spokesperson said.

Nautor land mutated before the October 27, 2020 cut-off date, where a change in land use has taken place, may also be considered for regularisation, subject to formal approval of the change in land use by the competent authority. Land regularised under the rules can be mortgaged with scheduled banks, financial institutions and Government-backed lending agencies for development of the land.

In municipal areas, planning areas and areas covered by master plans, zonal plans or development authorities, the use of land will have to strictly conform to applicable planning regulations.

The rules also provide for periodic review and audit of allotments and regularisations. Any violation, misrepresentation, concealment of facts, non-utilisation, unauthorised transfer or breach of conditions may lead to cancellation or resumption of the land.

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