Srinagar, Mar 20: JKPC General Secretary and AJKSA President Molvi Imran Ansari Friday expressed strong concerns over the J&K Land Grants (Restoration and Protection) Bill, 2025.
He said, “JKNC is selling this bill as ‘saving the soil,’ but it looks more like saving their usual beneficiaries. Gulmarg is just the most visible example, while across J&K similar prime properties and shops remain controlled by the same circles. This is not about outsiders everyone agrees land must stay with locals. The real question is: which locals? For decades, a few families have turned public land into private goldmines, earning huge profits while paying negligible lease.”
Molvi Imran Ansari added, “This pattern is not new. PDP and Congress did the same, and now JKNC is continuing it with better optics. Just because someone built on leased land and recovered their investment many times over does not make them the owner. There has to be a fair solution, but not blanket extensions for a select few, especially those linked to political influence.”
He further said, “The solution is to break this monopoly introduce short-term leases of 5–10 years, open them to local youth and entrepreneurs, and make access easier through instalment-based models. Most importantly, bring full transparency by publishing details of all such properties, leaseholders, and timelines.”
He concluded, “All eyes are now on the J&K LG to ensure this policy benefits the people, especially the youth, and not just a handful of elite families. Otherwise, this is not land protection it is privilege protection.” (KNS)
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