Village By Village: How Anantnag Is Redefining Governance In Kashmir

By Mohammad Amin Mir

On a September morning, Nussu Badragund, a village in Tehsil Qazigund, was unusually lively. Men and women gathered outside the Panchayat Ghar, holding bundles of documents or folded applications.

Inside, Revenue Department officials moved steadily, distributing certificates, recording grievances, and resolving land disputes on the spot.

For villagers, this was more than administrative work.

Certificates that normally took weeks arrived within hours. Land disputes, lodged in files and courts for years, found resolution in a single sitting.

Governance was no longer distant. Officials were present, attentive, and directly engaged with the community.

The programme, running from September 17 to October 2, coincides with Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary. Gandhi believed India lives in its villages and that justice, services, and rights should be accessible to every villager.

By transforming Panchayat Ghars into hubs of administration, the Revenue Department in Anantnag is bridging this vision with the realities of Kashmir's villages.

Tehsildar Sajad Hussain, managing both Anantnag and Qazigund, leads the initiative. His approach emphasizes presence over paperwork.

The goal is simple: deliver services to citizens rather than making them chase offices.

The results are immediate. Farmers applying for subsidies, students seeking scholarships, and widows needing welfare received documents without delay.

Land disputes that might have taken years in courts were mediated and resolved before officials and community members.

The human response was telling. Elderly men watched as officials left desks to sit among them. Women, often deterred by distance or bureaucracy, participated confidently.

Young graduates saw opportunities in the swift issuance of certificates that could open doors to jobs or higher education.

The programme also focused on awareness. Villagers learned about land laws, inheritance procedures, and the importance of proper documentation.

These sessions empower citizens to protect their rights in rural Kashmir, where procedural complexity can allow exploitation.

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