Official documents and records reviewed by news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) reveal that the Board implemented a structured financial framework that it claims is unprecedented in the region’s orchard leasing ecosystem. Contrary to accusations of a "secret" deal, the Board stated that the leasing process was publicly advertised in newspapers and on its official website (www.jkwaqfboard.com), a digital disclosure mechanism it highlighted as a progressive step toward transparency.

 

The Board explained that the decision to lease a portion of the sprawling 692-kanal orchard was driven by a dire administrative need to reverse years of decline. Officials cited significant deterioration, with hundreds of trees turning unproductive annually and disease-prone patches threatening even neighboring private orchards.

 

To address this, the Board identified 159 kanals of barren and low-yield land for long-term, high-density plantation. The financial model introduced marks a radical departure from past practices. Documents indicate the Board fixed a base lease rate of ?25,180 per kanal per year with a 5% annual escalation—significantly higher than the prevailing private market rate of around ?15,000 per kanal.

 

In a major structural reform, the Board also introduced an upfront premium component of ?1 lakh per kanal, securing an immediate revenue inflow of approximately ?1.59 crore. Officials described this premium-based model as a "game-changer" designed to ensure both immediate capital and sustained annual income, moving away from the low-yield, high-expenditure model of the past.

 

The financial logic behind the reform is underscored by the performance of the remaining 533 kanals of the orchard. These have been placed under a three-year auction framework.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelOfficials pointed out that while the previous auction for the entire 692 kanals generated just ?2 crore over three years, the new model has been radically restructured. For the first time, the contractor will bear all operational costs—fertilisers, pesticides, labour, and machinery—estimated at over ?21 lakh annually, expenses previously borne by the Board and a major drain on its finances.

 

Taking these savings into account, the Board set a base price of ?1.15 crore for the three-year auction of the remaining land, a figure officials say is far higher than conservative financial projections. The final secured revenues, they added, are substantially higher.

 

Cumulative financial projections presented by the Board suggest the scale of the reform. If applied to the entire 692 kanals, the new framework could generate approximately ?7 crore in upfront revenue and around ?2 crore in annual recurring income—without the Board incurring a single rupee in operational costs. This stands in stark contrast to the past seven years’ average, where gross annual income of ?64 lakh was whittled down to a net return of just ?30 lakh after deducting heavy operational expenses.

 

"Every step—from the public advertisement to the financial structuring—has been conducted according to established procedures," a senior official associated with the Board’s orchard wing told PTI. "What is being portrayed as a controversy is, in fact, a reform-driven initiative designed to transform a loss-making asset into a sustainable revenue generator for public welfare."

 

The Board manages thousands of kanals of orchard land across Kashmir, much of it reportedly in poor condition and generating heavy losses, with revenues from conventional auctions often failing to cover staff salaries. In this context, officials described the Sumbal initiative as a significant institutional reform that combines transparency, fiscal prudence, and long-term asset optimization, setting a new standard for Waqf property management in Jammu & Kashmir. (kNS )