DEHRADUN: In a bid to check large-scale land purchases in Uttarakhand‘s hilly regions by people from other areas of India, state government is all set to introduce a “stringent land purchase law” in the next budget session of assembly. This was disclosed by CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday.
State government plans to identify non-resident individuals who have violated existing norms, which allow only 250sqm of land to be bought for personal use in non-municipal areas. It intends to reclaim land that has been illegally acquired by those who circumvented these regulations, the CM said.
It has been alleged that there have been several instances where the buyers have flouted the regulations by acquiring land in the names of relatives or failed to meet the commitments they made when purchasing land for commercial use, and instead “increased their personal land bank.”
Under current rules, nonresidents can purchase up to 250sqm land outside municipal limits for personal use. For commercial purposes, such as tourism, industries, health, and education, BJP government had revised the law in 2017, increasing the permissible land limit from 12.5 acre to 30 acre.
Uttarakhand CM Dhami said, “We are initiating an inquiry to identify individuals who bought land in the names of family members, as well as those who did not fulfil their promiseof setting up commercial ventures after purchasing large plots. In both cases, all land procured through dubious means will be taken back.” Dhami said government is working on a new law to address land purchase.
“This legislation will look into various issues and stop unwanted transactions in pockets outside municipal areas,” he said. “In 2017, amendments were made, but we did not receive positive results. Earlier, permission for buying land was given by government, but the amendment allowed district magistrates to approve land acquisitions. As a result, people made commitments to set up activities in sectors of tourism, processing, health and education to buy major chunks of land, but after purchasing it, they did not start the work. Our teams will compile these details,” Dhami said.
The CM said a state committee is currently reviewing land ownership details across state, adding that legitimate investors have nothing to fear. “We will take action only against those who are buying land for personal gain.
Genuine investors will face no problem. We are committed to fostering progress while curbing illegal practices,” he said. Restrictions on land purchases by non-residents were introduced in 2002-2007 when Congress government imposed a 500sqm limit on residential land purchases in areas outside municipal limits.
BJP government reduced the limit to 250sqm during its 2007- 2012 tenure. Agricultural land purchases by people from other states was also prohibited. In 2017, under CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, BJP govt lifted these restrictions to attract investment in the hills, allowing purchase of up to 30 acre land for commercial activities such as tourism, and agriculture.
