SRINAGAR: In a political move aimed at countering what she called the “arbitrary eviction and dispossession” of residents and businesses, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday announced the introduction of a new legislation titled The Jammu and Kashmir Land Rights and Regularisation Bill, 2025, popularly referred to as the Anti-Bulldozer Bill, in the forthcoming session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
PDP will introduce Anti Eviction Bill namely The J&K Land Rights & Regularisation Bill, 2025 (Anti-Bulldozer Bill) in the coming Assembly session @MehboobaMufti
The Bill seeks to protect long-term land occupants from arbitrary evictions and ensure land security for families,…
— J&K PDP (@jkpdp) October 8, 2025
According to the statement issued by the party, the proposed Bill seeks to regularise land holdings of individuals, families, and institutions that have been in continuous possession of their land for more than 30 years. The measure aims to grant legal ownership rights, prevent forcible evictions, and bring lasting social and economic stability to the region.
Explaining the need for the legislation, Mehbooba Mufti said that land ownership in Jammu and Kashmir has become one of the most sensitive and destabilising issues since the abrogation of Article 370. “This Bill is not about confrontation but correction. It seeks to protect those who have lived, worked, and invested on their land for generations from arbitrary bulldozing and eviction,” she said.
Drawing attention to the ongoing crisis in tourist hubs such as Gulmarg, Ms Mufti said that the government’s Land Grant Rules, 2022, had effectively scrapped the automatic renewal of expired leases, putting dozens of hotels and guest houses at risk of eviction or government takeover through public auctions. “Nearly 60 hotels in Gulmarg, including heritage establishments such as Nedous and Highlands Park, have received takeover notices from the Gulmarg Development Authority,” she noted.
The PDP President said that hoteliers who have invested crores in infrastructure now face a climate of fear and financial distress. “Instead of promoting tourism, the government’s actions have created uncertainty that threatens the entire hospitality sector in Kashmir,” she added.
Tourism industry insiders have for months expressed alarm over the government’s handling of lease renewals in Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and Sonamarg. Many hotels and private establishments, originally leased land under the now-defunct Land Grant Rules of 1960, were denied renewal following the 2022 amendment that mandated fresh auctions instead of automatic extensions.
According to Ms Mufti, this legal vacuum has paralysed investment and employment in Kashmir’s tourism industry. “The absence of a clear government policy on land regularisation is eroding investor confidence and threatening thousands of jobs that depend on tourism,” she said, urging the government to adopt the PDP’s Bill or bring forward its own version.
Mehbooba Mufti also criticised the government for what she termed its “failure to defend the land rights of the people” despite repeated assurances. “The Chief Minister has on several occasions promised to protect the rights of residents and leaseholders, yet no concrete legal or policy framework has been presented in the courts or the legislature,” she said.
She reiterated that the PDP’s proposed legislation is designed to offer long-term legal protection to people occupying land for decades—be they homeowners, farmers, religious institutions, or private enterprises.
The PDP leader confirmed that her party’s MLAs have already submitted the Bill for inclusion in the upcoming Assembly session. She said the PDP remains open to supporting any similar legislation brought by the government. “Our goal is not political one-upmanship but people’s security. The government can either adopt our Bill or introduce its own. We will support any move that protects the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.
Analysts see the move as part of a larger political effort by the PDP to reclaim its traditional ground on issues of land rights and autonomy, themes that have historically resonated in the region’s political discourse.
If passed, the Jammu and Kashmir Land Rights and Regularisation Bill, 2025 could mark the first major legislative challenge to the government’s post-2020 land policy, which critics say has enabled widespread evictions and asset seizures under the guise of administrative regularisation.
For now, Mehbooba Mufti’s “Anti-Bulldozer Bill” has brought the land debate back to the centre of Jammu and Kashmir’s political stage—pitting the promise of protection against the fear of dispossession.
