NAINITAL: Commissioner and secretary to the chief minister, Deepak Rawat, reviewed the Zamindari Destruction and Land Reforms Act and discussed the status of land purchase and sale in the hilly and plain areas of Kumaon division during a meeting at the Circuit House auditorium in Kathgodam in Nainital district on Monday.
Commissioner Rawat directed local sub-district magistrates (SDMs) and tehsildars to investigate cases in which land was bought for religious or agricultural purposes but was used for hotels, resorts, or other commercial spaces, noting that if any rules are violated, the land should be transferred to the state govt.
Rawat said, “Cases of land purpose violation have come to light in many districts of Kumaon, including 74 in Nainital, 24 in Almora, 41 in Udham Singh Nagar, and four in Bageshwar. No violation has been reported in Champawat and Pithoragarh so far.”
SDMs and tehsildars suggested that the administration’s permission should be made mandatory for outsiders to purchase 250 sq m of residential land to identify misuse and ensure that no family can build resorts and hotels by purchasing several land units in one place.
The meeting also included discussions on the need to formulate a policy for land availability.
