Hoteliers across Gulmarg worried over new land rules

Hoteliers in Gulmarg have been worried since the J&K administration came up with a notification, ordering the outgoing lessees to immediately hand over the possession of the leased land to the government. For the past four years, the administration has not renewed the lease agreement of the hotels in Gulmarg, the world-famous ski resort in North Kashmir, triggering fear among the hoteliers that the government will take possession of their business.

According to the Jammu & Kashmir Land Grant Rules-2022 notified by the Revenue Department, all the outgoing lessees (except in the case of subsisting/expired leases for residential purposes) shall immediately handover the possession of the land taken on lease to the government, failing which the outgoing lessee shall be evicted as per the provisions of public premises (eviction of unauthorised occupant) Act, 1988.

The rules state that an empowered committee headed by the Financial Commissioner, Revenue, and comprising officials from different departments would identify and designate land and the purpose for grant of the lease. It has been empowered to recommend the period of grant of lease, which shall ordinarily be for 40 years.

A group of businessmen, including hoteliers, met Sheikh Ashiq, president of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI), over the issue on Thursday. “There is apprehension among the hoteliers that the government will sell the properties to outsiders and render them jobless. Our businessmen don’t have the financial muscle to compete with outsiders,” he said.

The KCCI assured the stakeholders that the grievances would be taken up with the government. Ashiq said hotels in Gulmarg and Pahalgam were the most affected by the decision.

In 1978, the J&K government and hoteliers entered into a land lease agreement for 40 years to be extended to 90 years. In 2018, the lease agreement of most of the hotels in Gulmarg expired.