By Mohammad Amin Mir

In Jammu and Kashmir, a revolution is being scripted, on paper, at least.

The government has launched WALHARUS, an ambitious project to digitize all land records in the Union Territory.

In theory, this is a leap forward: a system where landowners can finally access their records with a few clicks, corruption can be curbed, and disputes resolved with clarity and speed.

But here’s the catch: in vast stretches of rural Kashmir, the very people tasked with bringing this digital vision to life, patwaris, are working without electricity.

Yes, you read that right. The people asked to scan, verify, and upload generations of land records into a sleek new online system often don’t even have a plug point to charge a laptop.

This isn’t a minor logistical hiccup. It’s a fundamental contradiction. You cannot digitize in the dark.

Across districts like Kupwara, Doda, Poonch, Anantnag, and Kulgam, many Patwar Khanas, the modest offices that house land records, are barely functioning. Some are tucked away in rented private homes. Others are squatting in borrowed rooms of panchayat buildings.

Many........

© Kashmir Observer