Govt Says 58,034 Kanals Of Nazool Land In Jammu Kashmir, 5,618 Kanals Leased For Commerce | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: The Government told the Legislative Assembly that the Union territory holds 58,034 kanals of nazool land and that 5,618 kanals of that land had been leased out for commercial purposes prior to reorganisation, while 346 lease cases have expired and await action, official records show.

Data tabled by the Revenue Department shows that Jammu Division accounts for 50,343 kanals of nazool land and Kashmir Division for 7,690 kanals, bringing the total to 58,034 kanals. The same returns indicate 529 kanals in Jammu Division and 5,088 kanals in Kashmir Division were leased for commercial use before 2019, a combined leased area of 5,618 kanals.

The reply said the Jammu and Kashmir Land Grants Rules, 2022 lay down detailed procedures for auctioning and grant of leases. The divisional returns submitted with the reply list the number of pre-reorganisation leases that have expired: 130 in Jammu Division and 215 in Kashmir Division, totalling 346 cases across the UT.

While officials cited the 2022 rules as the guiding framework for fresh grants and auctions, the assembly papers do not set out a timetable for resolving the 346 expired leases or give a district-wise breakdown of how many expired cases have been formally processed for renewal, renewal refused or are pending final action. The Revenue Department’s statement confined itself to reporting the area figures and referring to the rules that govern future grants.