Ladakh settles decades-old Nautor land rights issue; Vests power with Hill Councils

In a major policy shift aimed at settling a decades-old land rights issue, Union Territory of Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Nautor Regularisation) Rules, 2026. The new legal framework paves the way for granting proprietary and ownership rights over government-owned "Nautor" land ”historically barren or waste tracts allotted to local populations for cultivation in the region's tough terrain.

Under the new regulations, full proprietary rights will be granted for land holdings up to 10 acres at prevailing village market rates. Holdings exceeding the 10-acre threshold can be allotted on a leasehold basis at an 80 percent premium of the notified market rate. Crucially, the rules serve as a one-time regularization mechanism strictly applicable to land occupied prior to October 27, 2020, coinciding with the repeal of the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir Tenancy Act, 1980. Any possession established after this cut-off date remains ineligible and subject to eviction.

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The decision directly affects over 60,000 acres of recorded Nautor land across Ladakh's seven districts. Prior to these rules, the absence of a uniform legal framework left occupants with limited, non-proprietary status, preventing them from using the land as collateral to secure bank loans or development capital. Under the new provisions, regularized land can be legally mortgaged with scheduled banks, financial institutions, and government-backed lending agencies.

The rules also decentralize administrative control by formally vesting all allotment, regulation, and land-use authority directly in the local Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs), invoking Sections 23(i) and 42 of the LAHDC Act, 1997.

To prevent illegal encroachment on public lands, mandatory field verifications by revenue officials will be conducted for unrecorded (Gair Mustaqil) occupations to verify cultivation status and possession dates. Furthermore, land regularizations within municipal or Master Plan boundaries must strictly conform to local planning laws.

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Emphasizing that the policy strikes a balance between protecting genuine landholders and safeguarding Council resources, the UT Administration has placed the draft rules open for a two-week public consultation period before issuing the final official notification.