Basharat Masood reports a classic Kashmir land story. In 2017, retired Fisheries Director Muzaffar Koul found his land in central Kashmir's Budgam had a house being built on it - by someone else. He had purchased it in 2012, had revenue records, but never fenced it.
When he checked, the original owner had sold same land to another person, who had managed to get mutation changed. The Patwari records were tampered - his mutation was missing, new owner's added. Police Crime BranrReach and Anti-Corruption Bureau are now probing.
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This is not rare. After Article 370 abrogation in 2019, outsiders can buy land in J&K, but due diligence remains weak. Digitization of land records under SVAMITRA is incomplete, revenue officials still control mutations. For many Kashmiri Pandits and retired officials who bought land as investment, this is nightmare.
Koul ordered forensic analysis of documents. The case exposes nexus - builder, revenue official, and local police. He said, “I was told to do our own verification. I did, but they had already changed the Patti-Sartaj. It is my land, they built house.”
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For J&K administration, which is inviting investment, land title security is core. Without guaranteed title, no investor will come.
Tags: #KashmirLand #LandMafia #Budgam #JammuKashmir #RevenueDept #LandFraud #Article370 #AntiCorruption #PropertyRights #Kashmir