SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) legislator Tanvir Sadiq on Friday accused the adminstration of regional bias in the enforcement of the Land Grant Rules, 2022, claiming the policy was being implemented unevenly across the Union Territory.
Raising the issue in the Jammu Kashmir Assembly, Sadiq said that in Kashmir, numerous hotels, shops, schools, and residential establishments particularly in Srinagar and other major tourist zones have been issued eviction notices, while in Jammu, similar leaseholders have either been spared or quietly regularised.
He alleged that such discriminatory application of the rules contradicts the government’s claim of promoting transparency and instead appears aimed at disrupting local ownership structures under the pretext of reform.
The NC legislator said the new rules have severely affected Kashmir’s local economy, particularly small hoteliers, shopkeepers, and cooperative societies who, he noted, have built their businesses over generations. “Denying renewals and pushing properties to auction doesn’t empower it uproots Kashmiri entrepreneurs and benefits outsiders,” he remarked.
Sadiq called for a uniform and impartial approach in implementing the policy across both divisions, asserting that land reforms must ensure justice, not exclusion. He described the alleged selective enforcement as “an assault on fairness and the very spirit of Jammu and Kashmir’s unity.”
