Bill to tweak land laws to be tabled in House

THE CABINET WILL TAKE UP THE BILL IN ITS NEXT MEETING BEFORE BUDGET SESSION, A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL SAID

- HT Correspondent

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government plans to introduce a bill in the budget session of the state legislature beginning February 18 to amend existing land laws to ensure balanced development, protection of the state's fragile ecology, and restrict sale of land to people from outside the state, officials said.

"The bill will be approved by the cabinet before it is tabled in the assembly during the budget session," an official said on condition of anonymity.

"Our government will introduce the bill in the budget session as per the sentiments of the people of the state," BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt said.

Officials aware of the development said the land law committee which submitted its report to chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in September 2022 had recommended land laws on the lines of Himachal Pradesh to put a check on indiscriminate land transaction in the Himalayan state by people from other states. One of the main recommendations was that instead of district magistrates, the state government should take a decision on land procurement issues based on the minimum land requirement as in Himachal Pradesh, said officials.