SRINAGAR: In a major move to address land rights issues in Ladakh, Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena Tuesday ordered the renewal of expired lease deeds that have been pending for several years in the Union Territory.Saxena said this would fulfil a long-pending demand of Ladakh residents and “offer a big relief to a large population in Ladakh, as it gives legal security to their land titles”.The LG said he had directed the UT chief secretary to organise special camps to clear all such pending cases and hand over the renewed lease deeds. “The first such camp will be organised on April 15, where renewed lease deeds will be handed over to the applicants after verification of documents and processing of licence fees,” he said.The decision, Saxena said, “marks a major step in strengthening governance, enhancing transparency, and bringing much-needed stability and security of lease tenure to affected families.” “Responsive, citizen-centric governance remains my foremost priority,” he added.After the nullification of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state of J&K into the Union territories of Ladakh and J&K in 2019, the Ladakh administration halted the extension of leases to existing leaseholders. Earlier, Article 370 restricted such leases to permanent residents of the erstwhile state, while Article 35A barred outsiders from purchasing property in J&K and Ladakh.Political parties in the region had been highlighting the issue, urging the Ladakh administration to frame a clear policy. At a recent meeting, former chief executive councillor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (Leh) and BJP’s Tashi Gyalson told chief secretary Ashish Kundra that many land-related matters were unresolved, causing serious inconvenience to the public due to the absence of clear titles. He said in several cases, lease deeds issued by LAHDC-Leh had expired without renewal, while in others, no formal lease agreements were signed despite allotments made by the council.
