Action to be taken for illegal purchase, sale of land as U'khand govt gets tough against violations

Dehradun, Sep 29 (IANS) Underlining that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami-led Uttarakhand government is strictly against illegal sale and purchase of land, state Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal has said that action would be taken against those who have bought land here and are not using it, adding the "excess" land will be taken "under the control of the government".

Uniyal's remark came against the backdrop of the Dhami-led Uttarakhand government intensifying action against those who resort to illegal selling and purchasing of land.

He said that under the leadership of CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, "our government is serious about land law".

Efforts will be made to bring in all necessary reforms in the land law in the interests of the state, an official said on Sunday, citing the Forest Minister.

The Uttarakhand Forest Minister said that the citizens of the state will also have to become aware and make this particular initiative of the government successful.

He also appealed to the people of the state to preserve their ancestral land and not sell it.

Uniyal further said that the government would not hesitate to amend the land laws according to public sentiments if they did not prove efficient before.

"Our government is taking every possible step to preserve the rights of the people of the state. The land law of the state is being prepared to keep this particular factor in mind," the Uttarakhand Forest Minister said.

Besides, the excess or additional land of those who have violated the rules by buying more than 250 sq metres of land in a family will also be "under control" of the state government.

Notably, Chief Minister Dhami has given instructions to take action at many levels regarding land law. The state government has constituted the Subhash Kumar Committee. The committee, which was headed by former chief secretary Subhash Kumar, had earlier submitted its report with 23 recommendations.

Along with this, the committee constituted under the chairpersonship of Chief Secretary Radha Raturi to prepare the draft of the land law is also studying the suggestions and working towards finalising it.

--IANS

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