Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has recently clipped Revenue Minister Kaul Singh Thakurs powers to grant land purchase approvals to outsiders and non-Himachalis under the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act-1971. The powers,from now on,will be exercised by Virbhadra himself. Thakur was a strong chief ministerial aspirant before Virbhadra replaced him as the party president and led the party in the Assembly elections. After Congress came to power,Thakur was inducted in the cabinet with health and medical education and revenue and law portfolios. Under Section 118 of HP Tenancy and land Reforms Act-1971,Himachals revenue minister enjoys powers to give relaxations to certain category of persons individuals,companies,trusts and societies,both outsiders and non-agriculturists to buy land in the state. Barely a week after Virbhadra completed his 100 days in office,Thakurs powers to deal with cases pertaining to Section 118 were withdrawn. Chief Secretary Sudripto Roy,in a letter on April 9,informed the revenue minister that all files pertaining to permissions for land purchases under Section 118 of the Act will now be dealt by the chief minister. Roy,under whose signature,the letter was issued,told The Indian Express on Thursday: I have signed the letter in this regard. It is like restoring the status quo,as earlier as well,the chief minister used to deal with Section 118 permissions. Sometime during the earlier regime,the powers were entrusted to the revenue minister. When contacted in Delhi,Thakur,however,said: I will speak to the chief minister and explain to him the rules of business of cabinet ministers. The revenue minister enjoys the powers. According to sources,the move could revive an old factional war between Virbhadra and his detractors,as certain factions in the Chief Ministers Office were uncomfortable with the revenue minister enjoying an absolute control on land relates issues. In the earlier Congress regime,when late Sat Mahajan was the revenue minister,he had faced ire of certain leaders who saw him as a hurdle when it came to granting land permissions to outsides. During his brief foreign trip to Pakistan,the powers to grant Section 118 approvals were temporarily taken over by the chief minister. The Congress,when in the Opposition,had accused the BJP of allowing largescale land purchases by outsiders and even made it as an election issue. However,an one-man inquiry commission set up by the government under retired high court Justice D P Sood had detected 177 benami land deals in the Congress previous regime. Recently,land lease granted to yoga guru Baba Ramdevs Trust,Pintanjli Yogapeeth,in Solan district by the BJP government was canceled by current regime. Over five other land deals,including one of Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan,is being probed.
