Ladakh L-G VK Saxena approves New LAHDC (Nautor Regularisation) Rules, 2026, paving way for proprietary rights of Nautor Land

Leh, September 4;

Lieutenant Governor,Vinai Kumar Saxena, on Friday, approved the landmark Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Nautor Regularisation) Rules, 2026 thereby resolving a long-pending and contentious issue of regularising and granting ownership of “Nautor” Land in Ladakh. 

The rules provide a comprehensive framework for granting proprietary rights/ownership of up to 10 acres of eligible Nautor land holdings to the occupants, across all seven districts of Ladakh. 

For Nautor land beyond the 10-acre limit, the proprietary rights may be allotted on a leasehold basis, in accordance with the Rules. The Rules offer a one-time regularisation mechanism for Nautor land, occupied before the repeal of the J&K Tenancy Act, 1980, on October 27, 2020. 

Any possession of Nautor land after this cut-off date will be ineligible for regularisation.

Nautor land refers to barren or wasteland, owned by the government, that was earlier allotted to individuals for cultivation or other productive use. 

More than 60,000 acres of land in the UT of Ladakh is presently recorded in revenue records as Nautor holdings.

Till now, the absence of a clear and uniform legal framework has restricted the effective utilisation of Nautor land till now. In particular, landholders with limited or non-proprietary rights were unable to use the land as a financial asset, including for purposes such as obtaining loans against it.

At the same time, the absence of uniform rules also posed a threat of claims and disputes over government/Council land.

According to the rules, the authority to allot Nautor land is now vested in LAHDCs in all seven districts. “Under Section 42 of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils Act, 1997, land within the district stands transferred to the Council, while clause (i) of Section 23 vests executive powers in the Council in relation to the allotment, use and occupation of land vested in it,” the rules read.

Saxena said that the Rules provide a much-needed legal certainty to genuine Nautor landholders, bring in transparency and accountability into the regularisation process, establish uniform procedures across the Union Territory and, at the same time, safeguard the land vested in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) from encroachment and unauthorised claims.

“The Nautor issue has a deep historical connection with the lives and livelihoods of the people of Ladakh. For generations, our people have worked hard to bring barren and waste land under cultivation in one of the most challenging agricultural environments in the country. These Rules provide a transparent and uniform mechanism to address this long-pending issue and give legal certainty to genuine holders. It will also enable such land to be utilised as a financial asset, including for availing bank loans,” said Saxena.

The rules will be put for public consultation for two weeks before the final notification is issued.

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