Srinagar, Aug. 4 -- That protection doesn't exist in Kashmir.

Nearly a decade after RERA was passed by Parliament to rein in India's notoriously chaotic real estate sector, Kashmir remains outside its fold.

The law was supposed to bring transparency, discipline, and accountability to property dealings. It was supposed to protect the buyer, hold builders to their promises, and give ordinary people a platform to resolve disputes.

None of that has taken shape in the valley.

Buying property in Kashmir is often a slow, confusing, and high-risk process. People rely on a patchwork of revenue officers, sub-registrars, and municipal clerks.

To prove ownership, one needs a registered sale deed. To update land records, a mutation must be carrie...