SRINAGAR (Kashmir English): Official data in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) has revealed that thousands of kanals of territory’s departmental land has been transferred to Indian government agencies since 2019, intensifying concerns over systematic land appropriation and demographic engineering in the territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, more than 68,190 kanals and 19 marlas of IIOJK departmental land have been transferred to various Indian government departments since 2019.
IIOJK departments
In addition, 7,495 kanals and 10 marlas have been allotted to Indian government departments and their agencies against a cumulative transfer value of Rs 10,506.75 lakh, calculated on the basis of prevailing stamp rates.
The transfers were executed at multiple administrative levels, including the Administrative Council, Revenue Department, Divisional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners, under delegated powers.
The Administrative Council alone transferred 44,130 kanals and 15 marlas to the departments without charging any transfer value, while allotting 7,495 kanals and 10 marlas to Indian agencies during the same period.
Year-wise data shows a sharp surge in allocations after 2019. In 2020, 24,480 kanals were transferred, followed by significant allotments in subsequent years, including 5,728 kanals to Indian agencies in 2023 and over 10,454 kanals to government departments in 2024.
Transfers were also carried out by the Revenue Department (8,103 kanals), Divisional Commissioners (9,086 kanals), and Deputy Commissioners (6,870 kanals), reflecting a coordinated administrative mechanism.
Observers say the massive scale of land transfers since the revocation of Kashmir’s special status in August 2019 reflects a calculated policy aimed at altering the demographic and administrative landscape of the occupied territory.
They maintain that the systematic allotment of land to Indian agencies under various pretexts is part of a broader strategy to consolidate New Delhi’s control and marginalize local ownership.
