Srinagar, Sep 15: The J&K administration has served eviction notices to several occupants of Nazool land, in summer capital Srinagar, including the iconic building of the Mohi-ud-Din Trust in Polo View market. Nazul land is property owned by the state government that is not directly managed as standard state property, but is instead leased out for fixed periods.
An eviction notice issued by Tehsildar, Srinagar reads: “The material produced does not establish the existence of any subsisting lease or an order of renewal/extension from the competent authority. Now, therefore, in exercise of the power’s conferred by Section (1) of the J&K Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1988, I, being the Estates Officer under theAct, hereby order the eviction of the Mohi-ud-Din Trust, Residency Road, Srinagar from the aforesaid public premises
A report published in The Hindu stated the eviction order has directed the Trust “to vacate the premises and handover peaceful possession to the Estates Officer on or before 21.09.2026”. The newspaper quoting Estates Department said, a prior notice was issued earlier on August 8, 2026, “calling upon the Trust to produce documentary evidence establishing their authorization to occupy the public premises”. The department, however, said a reply was submitted with original lease and various representations and correspondence seeking renewal of the lease, but “could not establish a subsisting lease”.
“In case of failure to comply with this order within the time specified, action for eviction and taking over possession of the public premises shall be taken under Section 5(2) of the Act,” reads the notice.
Eviction notices have also been served in Srinagar’s Karan Nagar, Rajbagh and Lal Chowk, and even against those who have defaulted on rent. In one such eviction notice issued in Karan Nagar, the Estates Department said, “The occupant has failed to furnish any satisfactory explanation or justification for the default in payment of rent and the deviation from the terms and conditions, including stipulated purpose, of the original ease,” reads another eviction notice.
It said the occupant had submitted a reply “relied upon earlier expired lease and the erstwhile Roshni Act, however, nothing to justify the present occupation of the subject land has been produced”.
In most of these notices, the eviction will be executed on September 21.
The occupants however termed the move surprising, saying any such drive will make people homeless and hit their livelihood badly.
“We have been the lease holders of a property since the 1930s. We have been following the extension of lease regularly with the government in the past. However, it remains pending. We find these eviction notices surprising. There are hundreds of families living in houses on Nazool land. Any such drive will make people homeless and hit their livelihood,” the newspaper quoted a lease holder from Rajbagh.
A total of 58,034 kanals of State land in J&K is categorized as Nazool land, which inclues 50,343 kanals in the Jammu division and 7,690 kanals in the Kashmir division. Around 5,618 kanals of this land are given out on lease for commercial activities in high-end markets in Jammu and Srinagar cities.
