The Uttarakhand government is working on an action plan to check population influx in the Himalayan state from other parts of the country.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and senior government officials said early implementation of a state-centric land law would be an important tool to curb mass migration in the state.

Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Tuesday that as the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is set to be implemented in October, his government is working hard to prevent alleged attempts to effect demographic changes in Uttarakhand. Soon there will be a concrete legal system to discourage outsiders buying land in Uttarakhand.

“Being pradhan sewak (chief servant) of the state, decisions taken by me were in tune with the needs and expectations of the people of Uttarakhand. Soon, UCC will be implemented in the state to usher in parity in civil laws for all sections of society cutting across religious lines. Besides, demographic changes in Uttarakhand are not acceptable to the government. Our government is working seriously in this direction to prevent efforts to change demography in the Himalaya state,” he said without divulging about the concrete action plan of his government

However, officials in the chief minister’s office(CMO) and state secretariat made it clear that after the UCC, the Dhami government is focussing on enacting a state-centric land law that will limit or restrict outsiders from purchasing land in Uttarakhand mainly in the hills.

“This can happen any time. Recommendations made by a committee constituted by the government to dwell into new land law for the state were submitted several months ago. The Committee led by retired IAS officer and former chief secretary of the state Subhash Kumar presented a comprehensive report on the present status, the need for the new land law, demands raised by the people of the state and extend of possible demographic changes in some areas along with other avenues,” informed a senior officers in state secretariat on the condition of anonymity.

It’s noteworthy that the report on land law submitted by the Subhash Kumar Committee was further examined by another high-level committee headed by Chief Secretary Radha Raturi. It’s now being given final touches to prepare a draft of the new land law for the state.

The demand for new land law in the state was being consistently made by the local public and political parties in Uttarakhand but it is hanging in balance after the submission of the Subhash Kumar Committee.