By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 12 Sep: Uttarakhand Congress organised a press conference of its charge sheet committee at Hotel Inderlok here on Saturday which was chiefly addressed by former PCC Chief Karan Mahara. PCC Chief Ganesh Godiyal and leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya also addressed the media on this occasion. Opening the media briefing, Ganesh Godiyal alleged that the Pushkar Singh Dhami government has squandered valuable State land throughout its entire tenure and has acted like government of land mafia by selling government property to favourites at throwaway prices.
President of PCC’s charge-sheet Committee Karan Mahra claimed that the Chief Minister is functioning like a property dealer. He questioned whether Devbhoomi Uttarakhand is being sold for peanuts or turned into a corporate hub. He also questioned Uttarakhand Investment and Infrastructure Development Board’s decision to lease 7,000 bighas of government land to private business houses for 90 years. He argued that while ordinary citizens face a purchase limit of 250 square metres, select corporates are being handed thousands of bighas on terms that can eventually convert leasehold into freehold ownership. He alleged that fixing rent at agricultural circle rates for commercial projects such as luxury resorts, townships and wellness centres would cause massive revenue loss. Mahra said the policy ignores the rightful claim of local youth and panchayats, and accused the government of hiding the decision from the public for over a year.
Yashpal Arya charged that the government has undermined the rights of locals over water, forests and land, and claimed the UIIDB was created to sell off state assets to corporates. He cited the George Everest estate project, where facilities developed with Asian Development Bank funds were leased to a private operator for Rs 1 crore annually, raising questions about valuation, tender transparency and alleged collusion among bidding companies. He noted that the High Court had to intervene to stop toll collection on the public road leading to the estate.
Manoj Rawat highlighted irregularities in land allocation for a major hospital project, where 23,137 square metres earmarked for health infrastructure were suddenly withdrawn without consulting the health department. He alleged that companies involved lacked requisite experience, had interlinked management structures, and faced serious recovery orders and fraud cases in other states. He pointed out that despite failing technical eligibility, one company was still granted provisional land allocation, violating constitutional and tender norms.
The Congress leaders collectively accused the government of favouring select corporate houses through questionable land policies, undermining transparency and depriving local communities of their rights. The press conference was also attended by State general secretary organisation Rajendra Bhandari and Amarjeet Singh, where committee chairman Karan Mahra, state president Ganesh Godiyal, leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya, co-incharge Surendra Sharma, members Manoj Rawat, Dr Prem Bahukhundi and Dr Pratima Singh jointly addressed the media.
