In a well calculated political move, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced that it will introduce the J&K Land Rights & Regularisation Bill, 2025, also known as the Anti-Bulldozer Bill, in the upcoming Assembly session.
According to PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, the proposed legislation aims to safeguard long-term land occupants from arbitrary evictions and to ensure land security for families, institutions, and hoteliers across Jammu and Kashmir.The move comes amid growing concerns over the eviction notices issued to dozens of hotel owners in Gulmarg under the 2022 Land Grant Rules. Despite repeated assurances, the government has failed to take a clear stand to protect the land rights of local residents and business owners.
The PDP said the bill reflects its commitment to defending the rights of the people and ensuring that no one is rendered homeless or jobless due to unjust land policies. Meanwhile, Mehbooba Mufti has also reacted strongly to the government’s ongoing process of vacating land and hotels after lease expiry. She urged the Omar Govt. to frame a new law to address the concerns of those who have worked on these properties for over three decades.
Mehbooba emphasized that the government must take serious steps regarding the relocation and rehabilitation of individuals and businesses affected by these evictions.Questioning former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s silence on the issue, she said that he should either introduce a new law concerning land holdings or support the PDP’s proposed draft to safeguard tourism and protect local employment.The PDP chief warned that without a practical policy, both the tourism sector and the livelihoods of many families would suffer irreparable damage.
It may be recalled that post Pahalgam terror attack houses of LeT terrorists were demolished in Kashmir. While it has been a policy of the LG government in the past few years to attach or demolish the houses of those who have been brazenly involved in acts of terror and violence leading to loss of innocent lives, this drive was intensified post Pahalgam attack seen as one of the biggest in terms of its scale and mode of operation.
Anti Bull-dozer Bill assumes significance also in the backdrop of such demolitions as some parties and leaders have been pleading the cause of family members of the terrorists who they say are being penalized for the acts of one member in the family. What fate the Bill meets in the House remains to be seen.
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