SRINAGAR: Ladakh residents will now have rights over barren lands or wastelands owned by govt, with the administration Friday approving Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Nautor Regularisation) Rules, 2026.The Rules provide a comprehensive framework for granting proprietary rights on up to 10 acres of eligible Nautor land holdings to the occupants across all seven districts of the Union Territory. For Nautor land beyond the 10-acre limit, the proprietary rights may be allotted on a leasehold basis, in accordance with the rules.Nautor land refers to barren or wasteland, owned by govt, which was earlier allotted to individuals for cultivation or other productive use. More than 60,000 acres of land in Ladakh is presently recorded in revenue records as Nautor holdings.The Rules offer a one-time regularisation mechanism for Nautor land, occupied before the repeal of J&K Tenancy Act-980, on Oct 27, 2020. Any possession of Nautor land after this cut-off date will be ineligible for regularisation.“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. 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,” Ladakh LG Vinai Kumar Saxena said.
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According to the Rules, the authority of allotting Nautor land will be vested in Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils in all seven districts.A govt spokesperson said the absence of a clear and uniform legal framework until now restricted the effective utilisation of Nautor land. “In particular, landholders with limited or non-proprietary rights, were unable to use the land as a financial asset, including for purposes such as obtaining loans against it. At the same time, the absence of uniform rules also posed a threat of claims and disputes over govt, council land,” the spokesperson said.
