PrashantNews
The Uttarakhand government has decided to investigate certain cases where people have bought more than 250 sq meters of land in different names in gross violation of the land laws in the hill state and bring a new comprehensive land bill in the next budget session of the state assembly.
Under the existing land laws in the hill state, any person can buy up to 250 square meters of land without permission. However, it has come to light that many people have bought land under different names in one family buying more than 250 sq meter of land in gross violation of the existing land law provisions.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said once it was proved that the land was purchased in violation of the land laws, such land will be transferred back to the government.
The Chief Minister said the government is also investigating cases where people who have purchased land with permission for business activities like tourism, industry etc., but did not use that land for the particular purpose. A strict action will also be taken against such people and their lands will be transferred back to the state government, he said.
The Chief Minister said that it has also come to the notice that the changes made in the rules related to land purchase in the year 2017 have not had positive results. He said that such provisions will be reviewed and if necessary, these provisions will be abolished.
The Chief Minister said his government would not harm the interests of any such person or institution, whose investments are creating employment in various sectors like tourism, education, industry, trade etc. in Uttarakhand and strengthening the economy.
The Chief Minister said his government is sensitive to the issue of land law and domicile. “We are trying to bring a comprehensive land law in accordance with the geographical conditions of Uttarakhand in the next budget session. He said that just as our government has resolved various long-standing cases from March 2021 till now, in the same way, I assure the people of Uttarakhand that our government will also resolve the issue of land law,” he said.
Significantly, the government has formed a high-level committee to look into the matter of strong land laws in the state. Another committee headed by former chief secretary Subhash Kumar has also submitted its report to the government in 2022 with an aim to stop the misuse of land. The Trivendra Singh Rawat government in 2017 had amended the land laws for the purpose of easier purchase to boost the economy and employment, a move that came under fire in the state leading to widespread protests last year.