Ladakh approves rules to regularise Nautor land ownership

The Union Territory of Ladakh has approved the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Nautor Regularisation) Rules, 2026, to resolve long-standing issues regarding Nautor land ownership. Under the new framework, eligible occupants can secure proprietary rights for up to 10 acres of Nautor land across all seven districts of the region.

Nautor land is defined as government-owned barren or wasteland previously allotted for cultivation or productive use. Currently, more than 60,000 acres are recorded as Nautor holdings. The new rules provide a one-time regularisation mechanism for land occupied before the repeal of the J&K Tenancy Act, 1980, on October 27, 2020. Any occupation established after this date is ineligible.

For holdings exceeding the 10-acre limit, land may be allotted on a leasehold basis. The authority to allot this land is now vested in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs). The initiative aims to provide legal certainty to landholders, allowing them to use land as a financial asset for purposes such as obtaining loans, while also protecting government land from encroachment and disputes.