Avinash Azad
In a revealing showdown in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, the government has laid bare its stance on the contentious issue of agricultural land use, offering a glimmer of procedural relief while slamming the door shut on any overhaul of its 2022 regulations.
Responding to pointed queries from MLA Bani Dr. Rameshwar Singh and MLA Advocate Vijay Kumar, the Revenue Department pushed its shiny new online portal as a game-changer for converting farmland into residential or commercial zones—yet doubled down on its refusal to revisit the rules, shrugging off persistent public demands. As rural fields eye a future of rooftops and urban sprawl looms large, the government’s mix of tech-driven ease and regulatory stubbornness has sparked fresh debate over the fate of J&K’s agricultural heartland.
In a heated assembly session on Saturday, MLA Bani Dr. Rameshwar Singh demanded clarity on whether agricultural land in Jammu could legally transform into residential or commercial hubs. The government’s reply was a cautious yes—pointing to its online portal, JK Revenue.nic.in, launched to streamline applications for Change of Land Use (CLU). “No need to visit a government office,” they boasted, heralding an era of applicant convenience.
Under the proviso to Section 133A of the Land Revenue Act, 1996 Svt., landowners can already build residential homes, farm structures, or storage units on agricultural plots, provided they notify the Tehsildar and keep the plinth area under 400 square meters. Beyond that, a government order from January 2022 (No. 11-RD&PR) governs building permissions in rural areas, while urban zones fall under the watchful eyes of development authorities like the JDA, JMRDA, and municipal bodies, regulated by the JK Land Development Act, 1970. It’s a system designed for control, with a nod to modernization—but not, it seems, to flexibility.
MLA Advocate Vijay Kumar pressed harder, asking if the government would heed the “persistent public demand” to review the Change of Land Use Rules-2022, officially the Jammu and Kashmir Agricultural Land (Conversion for Non-Agricultural Purposes) Regulations. The response was blunt: “No, Sir.” The Revenue Department dismissed any plans for a rethink, citing no proposal on the table to amend the framework set under Section 1334 of the Land Revenue Act. For a public clamoring for change amid rising land pressures, it’s a brick wall painted with bureaucracy.
