With agricultural land falling prey to unchecked urbanisation and rampant commercialisation, the state government is helpless about putting a brake on the growing trend of land conversions. In 2011, the state government had established a committee, led by Minister for Housing, Horticulture, and Culture, to review the bill that would put a ban on the use of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes, but till now, the committee is without any result. According to the J&K Economic Survey report 2012-2013, 70 per cent of the population in J&K is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. The provisions of the J&K Land Revenue Act 1996 (1939 AD) prohibit the conversion of paddy or vegetable lands and floating fields into any other use. To check violations, officials of the Revenue Department said they had been taking the required action. “If there is any violation, we are taking a necessary action and if anyone comes to us with a complaint, we do act,” said Farooq Ahmad Shah, Deputy Commissioner, Revenue Department, Srinagar. While the state government has enough laws to counter the phenomenon, the unregulated and unplanned swallowing of agricultural land for commercial purposes continues unabated. In addition to the Revenue Department, various implementing and monitoring agencies, including the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA), have failed to curb the illegal constructions taking place on the agricultural land. In the outskirts of Srinagar city — once a boundless area of marshy land — a sprawling stretch of posh residential colonies, housing valley’s prominent and influential functionaries, have cropped up in recent years. Hyderpora, Bemina, Pirbagh, Sanatnagar, Rawalpora, Narbal, Zainakoot are some examples of the massive conversion scenario, the Valley has witnessed since early 2000s. Mushtaq Ahmed, Director, Agriculture Department, said there were specific departments to check the land conversion. “The Agriculture Department is not the authority for it, we are only meant for agricultural production. We can only inform other departments,” he said. The J&K economy has undergone a precarious shift from a steady agrarian economy in mid-decades of the 20th century to a consumerist service-based economy. Still to act The state government has enough laws to counter the phenomenon, but the unregulated and unplanned swallowing of agricultural land for commercial purposes continues unabated. In addition to the Revenue Department, various implementing and monitoring agencies, including the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and the Srinagar Development Authority, have failed to curb the illegal constructions taking place on agricultural land.