🕰️J&K Land Allotment: 1954-2024 Orders Explained

 

🌍 Land of Resilience: J&K’s Allotment Legacy Unraveled

In Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), land is more than earth—it’s a testament to survival, a beacon of hope for displaced families, and a cornerstone of equity. From the 1950s to the groundbreaking orders of 2024, J&K’s land allotment policies have woven a tapestry of rehabilitation and empowerment. Over 9.23 lakh kanals have been granted to displaced persons (DPs), with recent 2024 orders like G.O. No. 105-JK(Rev) unlocking proprietary rights on evacuee land. As J&K embraces 2025 with resumed flights, reopened schools (Hindustan Times), and a fragile ceasefire (The Hindu), this saga of land and resilience captivates. Let’s unravel the detailed policies—past and present—that define J&K’s land legacy.

📜 A Legacy Born in Crisis

The 1947 Partition, followed by wars in 1965 and 1971, uprooted thousands from Pakistan-occupied J&K (PoJK), Chhamb, and West Pakistan. J&K’s response was a series of government orders allocating evacuee and state land to DPs and landless locals. These policies transformed refugees into farmers and secured local cultivators’ roots. In 2024, new orders extended ownership to DPs and West Pakistan Displaced Persons (WPDPs), proving this mission endures. With Rs 18,000 crore in encroached land at stake (Kashmir Life), the story remains as urgent as ever.

🕰️ Timeline of Pivotal Government Orders

📋 Detailed Breakdown of Government Orders

🌱 Order 578-C of 1954: The Foundation

• Issued: May 7, 1954
• Purpose: Allotment of evacuee and state land to PoJK DPs of 1947, addressing Partition’s displacement.
• Eligibility:
  • Displaced persons with agriculture as their primary livelihood.
  • Registered PoJK DP families.
• Land Units:
  • R.S. Pora & Jammu Tehsils: 6 kanals Abi (irrigated) or 9 kanals Khushki (unirrigated) per family member; minimum 2 acres Abi or 3 acres Khushki for families of 3 or fewer; maximum 4 acres Abi or 6 acres Khushki.
  • Jammu Province: 9 kanals Abi or 14 kanals Khushki per member; minimum 3 acres Abi or 4.5 acres Khushki; same maximum.
  • Exceptions: Pre-1954 allotments exempt from limits.
• Provisions:
  • Land acquired via inheritance or transfer added to allotments.
  • Excess allotments cancellable by Tehsildar (single tehsil) or Provincial Rehabilitation Officer (multiple tehsils).
  • No explicit alienation restrictions, except for Change of Land Use (CLU) conditions.
• Significance: Enabled 26,319 families to cultivate 6.80 lakh kanals of evacuee land and 2.43 lakh kanals of state land, laying the groundwork for rehabilitation.

👨‍🌾 LB-6/C of 1958: Securing Local Cultivators

• Issued: June 5, 1958
• Purpose: Regularized state land for locals cultivating during Kharif 1957-58, including land under the Big Landed Estates Abolition Act.
• Eligibility:
  • Local inhabitants with recorded cultivation.
  • Permanent residents of J&K.
• Land Ceiling: Maximum 100 kanals, including owned or occupied land.
• Rights: Granted “tenants-at-will” status (possessory rights), later upgradable to ownership.
• Significance: Stabilized agrarian communities, impacting ~12,000 families (estimated).

🌾 LB-7/C of 1958: Land for the Landless

• Issued: June 5, 1958
• Purpose: Allotted evacuee and state land to landless agricultural laborers and petty landholders.
• Eligibility:
  • Landless persons or those with less than 4 acres Abi or 6 acres Khushki in tenancy, or 1 acre Abi/1.5 acres Khushki in ownership plus 2 acres Abi/3 acres Khushki in tenancy.
  • Required Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC).
• Significance: Redistributed land to ~10,000 families (estimated), addressing rural poverty.

🏡 254-C of 1965: Ownership for PoJK DPs

• Issued: July 7, 1965
• Purpose: Granted proprietary rights to PoJK DPs from non-liberated areas holding land under 578-C or earlier orders.
• Eligibility:
  • Continuous possession since allotment, verified by revenue records.
• Conditions: No transfer restrictions specified.
• Significance: Upgraded possessory rights to ownership for thousands during the 1965 war, ensuring legal security.

🔒 S-432 of 1966: Tenants Become Owners

• Issued: June 3, 1966
• Purpose: Conferred proprietary rights on state land to LB-6/C tenants-at-will.
• Land Units:
  • Kashmir: 2 acres Abi or 4 acres Khushki.
  • Jammu: 4 acres Abi or 8 acres Khushki.
• Restrictions: Alienation required government permission (Clause 4).
• Notes: Operations paused in 1989, resumed in 2007 to clear pending cases, distinct from Roshni scheme.
• Significance: Empowered ~15,000 families (estimated) with permanent land rights.

🛠️ LB-40 of 1969: Post-War Ownership

• Issued: January 1, 1969
• Purpose: Extended 254-C provisions to state land allotments post-07.07.1965 for DPs from non-liberated areas.
• Context: Addressed 1965 war displacements.
• Significance: Ensured ownership consistency for later allottees.

⚖️ Reh-371 of 1971: Fine-Tuning Allotments

• Issued: September 9, 1971
• Purpose: Provided guidelines for addressing deficiencies in 1947 DP allotments.
• Provisions:
  • Scale: Up to 8 acres Abi or 12 acres Khushki for rural DPs by Joint Rehabilitation Board.
  • Urban DPs: Rs. 3,500 ex gratia grant.
  • Family Definition: Bifurcation rules clarified family units.
  • Restrictions: Banned further family bifurcations; canceled excess land held by proprietors/sons.
  • Eligibility: Rural DPs eligible even if not personally cultivating, if agriculture wasn’t their main occupation.
  • Exceptions: Exempted border/kandi area proprietors, Nandpur Farm, and Chhamb DPs from cancellation.
  • WPDPs: Explicitly addressed their allotments.
• Significance: Refined allotments for ~5,000 families (estimated), tackling fraud and inequities.

📜 G.O. No. 100-JK(Rev) of 2024: 1965 DPs Gain Ownership

• Issued: August 2, 2024
• Purpose: Conferred proprietary rights on state land to 1965 DPs, per 578-C of 1954, 254-C of 1965, and subsequent orders (Rev(LB) 66/2000, Rev(LB) 38/2007).
• Eligibility:
  • Continuous cultivation since allotment, recorded in revenue documents.
  • Legal heirs eligible under Hindu Succession Act, 1956 (amended 2005), Muslim Personal Law, or other inheritance laws.
• Application Process:
  • Submit to Tehsildar with:
    • Revenue records showing continuous cultivation.
    • Affidavit confirming all legal heirs included and no encroachment.
  • Tehsildar forwards to Assistant Commissioner (Revenue)/SDM after scrutiny.
  • ACR/SDM, with Deputy Commissioner approval, orders mutation per Standing Order 23-A.
• Restrictions:
  • No rights within Municipal Corporation/Committee limits.
  • No ownership for fake/forged allotments.
  • Land use limited to agriculture, residential, or allied activities (J&K Land Revenue Act, 1996).
  • No subletting or third-party interests.
• Implementation:
  • Weekly camps by Tehsildars/SDMs/ACRs ensure inclusivity.
  • Monthly progress reports to Divisional/Financial Commissioner.
• Significance: Formalized ownership for 1965 DPs, aligning with historical rehabilitation goals.

🗳️ G.O. No. 101-JK(Rev) of 2024: WPDPs Secure Rights

• Issued: August 2, 2024
• Purpose: Granted proprietary rights on state land to WPDPs in continuous cultivation since Kharif 1971, per 578-C and 254-C.
• Eligibility:
  • Original/all legal heirs with:
    • Revenue records showing continuous cultivation since Kharif 1971.
    • Attested receipt of financial assistance (G.O. 57-DMRRR of 2018).
  • Legal heirs eligible under applicable inheritance laws.
• Application Process:
  • Submit to Tehsildar with:
    • Revenue records or financial assistance receipt.
    • Affidavit confirming all heirs and no encroachment.
  • Tehsildar scrutinizes, forwards to ACR/SDM, who orders mutation with Deputy Commissioner approval.
• Restrictions:
  • Same as G.O. 100-JK(Rev): No municipal land rights, no fraudulent allotments, restricted land use.
  • Land ceilings per 578-C apply; no fresh allotments.
• Implementation:
  • Weekly camps and monthly reports ensure comprehensive coverage.
  • Financial Commissioner, Revenue, to issue clarifications for smooth execution.
• Significance: A historic step addressing WPDP demands, potentially impacting thousands.

🏞️ G.O. No. 105-JK(Rev) of 2024: Evacuee Land Milestone

• Issued: August 16, 2024
• Purpose: Transferred evacuee land on proprietary basis to DPs of 1947, 1965, 1971, and WPDPs under Clause (I), Sub-Section (2), Section 9 of the Evacuees’ (Administration of Property) Act, 2006.
• Eligibility:
  • PoJK DPs (1947): Occupancy tenancy under Section 3-A, J&K Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976, or continuous cultivation since 578-C.
  • PoJK DPs (1965/1971): Continuous cultivation since allotment, verified by revenue records or financial assistance receipts (G.O. 22-DMRRR of 2017).
  • WPDPs: Continuous cultivation since retention under Para 15, Reh-371 of 1971, verified by revenue records or G.O. 57-DMRRR of 2018 receipts.
  • Purchasers: Those with registered sale deeds from 1947 DPs (under Section 3-A), with continuous cultivation.
• Application Process:
  • Submit to Tehsildar with:
    • 1947 DPs: Mutation under Agrarian Reforms Act or allotment records (e.g., Form-A, cancellation register) plus Khasra Girdawari pre-Kharif 1971.
    • 1965/1971 DPs: Revenue records or financial assistance receipts.
    • WPDPs: Revenue records since Reh-371 or financial assistance receipts.
    • Purchasers: Registered sale deeds and revenue records showing cultivation.
    • Affidavit confirming all heirs and no encroachment.
  • Tehsildar submits to ACR/SDM within 10 days; ACR/SDM, with Deputy Commissioner approval, forwards to Custodian Evacuee’s Property within 10 days.
  • Custodian, with Custodian General approval, issues transfer orders within 10 days (30-day total timeline).
• Provisions:
  • Land ceilings per 578-C and Agrarian Reforms Act; includes state/evacuee land held but excludes post-allotment purchases for 578-C ceiling.
  • Family definition per 578-C and Reh-371.
  • Weekly camps by Tehsildars/Custodians ensure outreach.
  • Six-month completion target for all transfers.
• Restrictions:
  • No rights in municipal limits or for illegal encroachments.
  • No ownership for fake/forged documents.
  • No subletting or unauthorized third-party interests (except valid sale deeds for 1947 DPs).
  • Land use restricted to agriculture, residential, or allied activities.
  • Power of attorney invalid for transfers.
• Significance: A landmark order potentially benefiting thousands by securing evacuee land rights, with robust verification to prevent fraud.

🌟 Impact and Challenges

These orders transformed J&K’s landscape. Historical policies allocated 9.23 lakh kanals to 26,319 PoJK families, while LB-6/C and LB-7/C supported ~22,000 local families. The 2024 orders extend this legacy, with weekly camps ensuring inclusivity. Yet, challenges persist:

• Encroachment: Valued at Rs 18,000 crore in 2025, it threatens land availability.
• Environmental Strains: “The streams are drying, the crops are failing,” a north Kashmir farmer told Kashmir Life, linking historical gains to modern woes.
• Fraud Risks: Rigorous verification in 2024 orders aims to curb spurious claims, a historical issue since 578-C.

🚀 J&K in 2025: A New Chapter

Today, J&K buzzes with progress. Flights resumed in April, schools reopened beyond border zones, and a ceasefire holds (Hindustan Times, The Hindu). The 2024 orders, especially G.O. 105, reaffirm 9.23 lakh kanals for DPs/WPDPs, while plans for satellite towns signal ambition. Balancing historical promises with modern needs—amid encroachment and land scarcity—remains the challenge.

💡 Why It Resonates

J&K’s land saga is a gripping tale of triumph and tension. From 578-C’s seeds to 2024’s evacuee land breakthrough, it’s about families reclaiming roots, locals securing stakes, and a region redefining its future. For readers of jkrevenuegyaan, this is your story—a masterclass in J&K’s land policies. As peace dawns, what’s next? The land, and its people, hold the answer.