Leh: The Ladakh administration has extended by 30 days the period for submitting comments and suggestions on the draft rules for regularisation of ‘nautor land’ in the Union Territory, officials said.
The decision came following criticism of the Draft Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Nautor Regularisation) Rules, 2026, notified by the Lt Governor administration on September 4.
Nautor land refers to barren or wasteland owned by the government and historically allotted to individuals for cultivation or other productive purposes. More than 60,000 acres of land in Ladakh is presently recorded in revenue records as nautor holdings.
“The extension, approved on the directions of Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, follows representations from various stakeholders, including the Ladakh Buddhist Association, Ladakh Gonpa Association and Anjuman Imamia, Leh, seeking more time to examine the draft rules,” an official spokesperson said.
The administration said stakeholders can now submit their comments and suggestions to the revenue department by November 1, 2026, including through email at [email protected].
The draft rules were placed in the public domain on September 4 with the objective of establishing a clear, transparent and uniform framework for regularisation of eligible nautor land holdings across Ladakh, he said.
“The nautor issue is closely connected with the lives, livelihoods and aspirations of the people of Ladakh. We want every genuine concern, suggestion and apprehension to be heard and examined carefully,” Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said.
The proposed rules provide for a one-time mechanism to regularise eligible nautor land occupied before October 27, 2020, following the repeal of the J&K Tenancy Act, 1980.
Under the draft framework, eligible holders may be granted proprietary rights over nautor land up to 10 acres, while land beyond the 10-acre limit may be considered for leasehold allotment in accordance with the rules, he said.
On September 4, Saxena approved the regularisation rules of ‘nautor lands’, paving the way for the grant of proprietary rights over eligible barren land and resolving a long-pending issue concerning thousands of landholders in the Union Territory.
