When Village Lands Vanish

Across Jammu & Kashmir, village commons known as Shamilat lands are being slowly stolen and sold, leaving communities without grazing grounds, footpaths, and burial spaces. The loss is reshaping rural life.

- Mohammad Amin Mir

In the villages of Jammu & Kashmir, land has always been more than property. It is where people walk, graze their cattle, bury their dead, and gather as a community.

These shared spaces, known as Shamilat lands, have long connected village life. They are not privately owned but are meant for everyone.

Today, many of these lands are disappearing.

From the hills of Kupwara to the plains of Kathua, and from Pulwama to Poonch, people are quietly fencing, selling, and building on these village commons. Often, no one stops them. Officials look away. Neighbours accept the change. Bit by bit, the spaces that once belonged to all now belong to a few.

Shamilat lands, also called Shamilat deh, were once protected by village officials, recorded as government property but used by the community. These included footpaths, grazing grounds, riverbanks, burial grounds, and playgrounds. The system was simple: the government held the title, but the land served the people.

But as old village roles faded and record-keeping weakened, these lands became easy targets. A neighbour might quietly extend his courtyard. A shopkeeper might fence a nearby plot. Soon, entire pieces of Shamilat land are gone.