Uttarakhand implements stricter scrutiny for land purchases

The Uttarakhand Government has planned to introduce a law with strict provisions for the purchase of land in the state to prevent people with dubious backgrounds from buying land in Uttarakhand. This move has come after concerns raised by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami about "land jihad," which refers to the encroachment on state-owned land by way of building religious structures like "mazars" on such land, especially in forest areas. The state will examine the background of the prospective buyer and the reason for purchasing land in Uttarakhand before the purchase of land. The state will make the necessary changes to existing land-related laws and bring an ordinance over the issue. The officials claim that the new provisions will have no impact on the size of the land being purchased by an outsider.

During the cabinet meeting earlier this month, Dhami directed officials to develop a mechanism to prevent encroachers from returning once they have been removed from government land. The Chief Secretary S.S. Sandhu stated that heads of departments will depute an officer for a particular area and fix accountability on them for ensuring that encroachment is not reported in that particular area. Satellite images will be taken each month to confirm that government land is not encroached upon, which would help in keeping track of far-flung areas.

Similar curbs were introduced during the Congress government's 2002-2007 rule in the state when it passed a law restricting non-Uttarakhand residents from buying more than 500 sq metres (2.5 naali in local measurement) of land for residential purposes. Later, the BJP government, during its rule in 2007-2012, reduced the upper cap to 250 sq metres (1.25 naali). Since then, this limit has been set for the purchase of land in the hills by outsiders. If one has to buy more land in the hills and rural pockets, permission would be required from the state and district authorities. However, there is no such restriction in the pockets under the jurisdiction of the municipal bodies.

In summary, the Uttarakhand Government plans to introduce a law with strict provisions for land purchases to prevent dubious purchases and encroachment on government land. The move aims to scrutinize the background of buyers and develop a mechanism to prevent encroachers from returning. The new law strengthens existing land-related laws and provides accountability to ensure sustainable development.

Next (Trichy Corporation collects 32% of total dues in record time)

Uttarakhand implements stricter scrutiny for land purchases

This Month

Overview

Explore

Join Us