Dehradun: The local land law, which came into existence two years after the creation of Uttarakhand as a separate state in 2002, has undergone many changes in more than two decades. The first local land was introduced by the ND Tewari government in the state in 2002.
Two years later, the same ND Tewari amended the land law to make it strict. However, the Trivendra Singh Rawat government had given maximum relaxation in the law in 2018.
The demand for making strict land law
In view of the demand for a strict local land law, the Pushkar Singh Dhami government has been working for the last three years to make amendments in the existing land law. The state cabinet approved the strict land law on Wednesday. In the year 2022, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami constituted a committee headed by former chief secretary Subhash Kumar to make the land law strict.
Subhash Kumar committee made 23 recommendations
The Subhas Kumar committee submitted its report to the state government on September 5, 2022. The committee made 23 recommendations to make amendments in the existing land law. Subsequently, the state government constituted a high-level select committee to examine the committee’s report and its 23 recommendations.
ND Tewari government introduced first land law
After its emergence as a separate state, Uttarakhand did not have its own land law and the law Uttar Pradesh was in force. The ND Tewari government made an amendment in the U P Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950 to allow the outsiders to purchase only 500 square meter land for residential purposes.
Conditional ban on purchase of agricultural land
The Tewari government had also put a conditional ban on the purchase of agricultural land. The district magistrates were empowered to give permission for the purchase of 12.5 acre of agricultural land. The Tewari government had also imposed a restriction that the project for which the land is purchased must be completed within two years.
BC Khanduri government made strict land law
In 2007, the then B C Khanduri government made amendments in the local land law to make it stricter. The limit for purchasing the residential land was reduced from 500 square meter to 25 square meter.
