Buying land and owning houses in upcountry areas of Uttarakhand hills will be extremely difficult for outsiders once a proposed new land law is enforced.

Going by a report of the special committee constituted by the Pushkar Singh Dhami government, non-natives of Uttarakhand will not have the luxury of owning houses in the nonmunicipal hill areas.

The report submitted by a committee more than a year ago also recommended substantial capping of the size of the land purchased in urban areas. Presently there is not cap on buying land in municipal areas.

Speaking to The Statesman, a member of the special committee informed, on condition of anonymity, that the report on the new land law incorporates provisions for strict restrictions on allowing land buying in rural hills of the state similar to section 118 of Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act 1972.

“The report follows Himachal Pradesh land law very closely and calls for strict provisions to restrict non-Uttarakhand natives from buying land in rural hill areas of the state. Capping the purchase of urban area land is also an important part of the report. Protection of hill area land was a major focus of the report as outside bulk buyers extensively harmed the state’s interest in the past. The majority of the bulk buyers who bought land from locals at throw-away prices never used them for the intended purpose while others tried creating their habitats. Even business houses will not get more than 12 acres for setting up industries” informed the committee member.

When contacted, another member of the committee Ajeyendra Ajay refused to share the content of the report, but said, “Himachal Pradesh law will have its imprint in Uttarakhand land law. Sale and purchase of land on hills will not be an easy task for nonnatives of the state once new land law is enforced.”

Ajay, who is also chairman of the Badri Kedar Temple Committee (BKTC), was one of the select groups of BJP leaders who approached the state government for the enactment of a new state-centric land law. He wrote to the government “hills of Uttarakhand were in the grip of land jihad as people from other parts of the country were purchasing land from locals without just to extend their habitation”.