By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 21 Feb: The Uttarakhand Assembly finally passed by voice vote the new land law presented in the House. While Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, speaking on the bill, pressed for its unanimous acceptance, some objections were raised by the Leader of the Opposition, Yashpal Arya, and Congress MLA Qazi Nizamuddin. Both the Opposition members claimed that the law is not as strict as is being claimed as it opens back door entry for land mafia to procure land in the state without much difficulty. However, responding to the objections, CM Dhami claimed that the new law is just a beginning, and that the government is open to bring in more changes as per the requirements from time to time. Finally, despite the objections raised by Arya and Nizamuddin, the bill was passed by voice vote.
The CM presented the proposal for a strict land law, which prompted the opposition to demand a detailed discussion. While addressing the House, CM Dhami stated that his government has made historic decisions in alignment with public sentiments. He added that efforts are being made to protect Uttarakhand’s resources from land mafia. He emphasised that Uttarakhand has both hill and the plains areas with different geographical conditions, and investors’ interests are also being considered. Incorporating these issues, the government has laid the foundation for land reform, marking the beginning of further work.
Dhami noted that in recent years, outsiders purchased land that remained unused. The implementation of this law will prevent such issues and help identify land mafias. The state government is also actively working to remove encroachments, balancing economic and ecological considerations. He mentioned that many important provisions have been included in the Land Law Bill. The land reform law aims to protect state land and benefit the people. Out of 599 cases of land law violations, 572 are currently in court. Since the formation of the state, continuous efforts have been made in land management. Land purchase by outsiders has been banned in 11 districts, and now, government-level permission is required for land purchases. The CM stated that the Land Management Act will help distinguish between land mafias and genuine landholders. He appealed to the Opposition members to lend whole-hearted support to the bill in the interest of the state and claimed that wide ranging consultations with the people, and the stakeholders have been held before coming up with this bill.
Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya suggested that the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land System Amendment Bill 2025 be referred to the Select Committee for further review regarding the Uttarakhand Land Law, with a report to be presented in the coming month. He stressed the importance of understanding who made the land laws flexible in Uttarakhand. He also claimed that government will not be able to take back the land once purchased by the people even if not used for the declared purpose and said that the intention of the government is not very transparent. Arya said that, after 2018, the amendments in the land law accelerated, which made it so flexible that the land in the hills too has been sold indiscriminately. The opposition demanded the government to clarify how much land was sold from the Terai to the mountains from 2018 till now and to whom was that land given. Nizamuddin too agreed with this and pointed out that the bill does not define who is a genuine buyer and who is land mafia.
However, the CM pressed for the bill to be passed and finally it was passed by the House by voice vote. Following this, other bills presented in the House yesterday were also passed by voice vote. It is being stated that the House may also have a sitting tomorrow on Saturday.
The discussion on the budget continued till late evening today.
