Decode Politics: Why Uttarakhand restrictions on outsiders buying land has triggered a row

The five-member land law committee was set up last month for a detailed study of a 2022 draft report that gave recommendations for amending the state’s land law. Dhami told the panel to expedite the preparation of the report.

How did the land law change over the years?

The N D Tiwari-led Congress government in 2004 amended Section 154 of the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari and Land System Act 1950, to allow people who did not hold immovable property in Uttarakhand before September 12, 2003, to purchase land from the District Officer to practise agriculture and horticulture.

The government, however, set a 500-sq m cap, with the aim of preserving local identity even while attracting investments. Subsequently, the B C Khanduri-led BJP government reduced the cap further to 250 sq m.

In 2018, Trivendra Rawat-led BJP government lifted these restrictions entirely, emphasising economic growth. However, the move sparked local discontent and concerns about cultural preservation, leading to demands to reinstate stringent regulations. This prompted Dhami to set up a high-level panel to review the state’s land law after he became CM in 2021.

How has the Congress reacted?

State Congress president Karan Mahara accused the government of misleading the public through repeated committees on land law. He urged Dhami to revoke the changes made in the Zamindari Abolition Act if the government’s intentions were sincere.

“The Trivendra Rawat government amended the Uttarakhand Zamindari Abolition Act in 2018 and gave free rein to land plunder, which was misused extensively. The Dhami government should have immediately repealed the amendments. The BJP has always adopted the path of lies,” he said.

Mahara said whichever government was in power from 2000 to 2017 imposed a strict ban on the purchase of land in the proposed capital Gairsain, but after 2017, the BJP governments did not even spare that either. He said Uttarakhand was the only Himalayan state where people from outside were allowed to buy agricultural land in hilly areas for non-agricultural purposes.

“The anger among the people is that due to the absence of strong land laws, people from outside the state are buying the state’s land on a large scale, and outsiders are dominating the state’s resources, whereas the original inhabitants and landowners are becoming landless. This is affecting the culture, tradition and identity of the hill state,” he said.

How has the BJP responded?

The ruling party has praised the government’s move as a crucial step. Party state president Mahendra Bhatt has assured the public of aligning future laws with public sentiments, and affirmed the government’s commitment to robust land legislation.

“Before the ban, a high-level committee was formed under the chairmanship of the former Chief Secretary (Subhash Kumar) and the report is being examined by the drafting committee, consisting of senior officers, based on constitutional, technical, and legal aspects. When the CM came to notice irregularities in the purchase of agricultural land, he made it necessary for the DMs to report on them. But now that the process regarding the land law is in a decisive phase, the ban on purchases by outsiders from the state is the right step and will remove the doubts of the people,” said Bhatt.

The BJP leader said the government was taking the land law reform seriously and took a dig at the Opposition for its alleged disconnect from public concerns.