DEHRADUN, Feb 21: An amendment bill to the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950, was passed by voice vote in the Uttarakhand Assembly on Friday to create a stricter set of land laws that would put limits on buying land in the hill state.
The bill was tabled in the assembly on Thursday.
“It will lay the foundation of land reforms in the state and rein in land mafia. It will also lead to better land management. It is in keeping with the sentiments of the people of the state and will protect their rights,” Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said while proposing the amendment for the House’s consideration and passage.
He said that it would also help differentiate between land mafia and genuine investors and would protect the latter’s interests. The need for it was being felt as land purchase rules were being violated on a large scale in the state, Dhami said.
Large chunks of land were bought in the name of opening different undertakings and giving employment to the locals but those were used for other purposes, he said. “Stricter land laws will also help maintain the original identity of the state.”
Initiating a debate on the bill, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Yashpal Arya cited certain loopholes and demanded that instead of being passed in a hurry, it should be referred to a select committee with the direction of submitting a report within a month.
Manglaur MLA Qazi Nizamuddin also supported the demand, saying some of its clauses could prove to be “backdoor entries” for the land mafia.
Responding to the concerns of the Congress members, Dhami said the bill had been prepared after consultations with stakeholders at different levels and was still open to suggestions for improvement.
“It is just the beginning. Land reform is a continuing process. Suggestions for improvement will keep being incorporated into it as it is implemented on the ground,” the chief minister said.
After Dhami’s brief response to the opposition MLAs, the amendment bill was put to a voice vote and passed.
For long, people of the state have been demanding stricter laws to stop largescale violations of land purchase rules that have been causing a gradual shrinking of agricultural land, especially in the hills.
Dhami first expressed his intentions to bring a stringent land law in the state in September last year. (PTI)
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