Uncontrolled sale of agricultural land in Uttarakhand completely banned

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has affirmed that the state’s new land law has officially come into effect, aiming to bring reforms in land management and the land system.

According to a statement from the Chief Minister's Office, this legislation aligns with public sentiment and has led to a complete ban on the unregulated sale of agricultural and horticultural land in the state.

“Land law has come into force in the state for land management and land system and reform. With this, in accordance with public sentiment, the uncontrolled sale of agricultural and horticultural land in Uttarakhand has been completely banned,” the Chief Minister's Office said in a press release.

Authorities are actively cracking down on violations of the Land Act through a comprehensive campaign. Land that is found to be in violation of legal provisions is being vested in the state government.

Acting on CM Dhami’s directives, swift action is being taken in cases where land use permissions have been misused under various sections of the Uttarakhand Land Act.

Under Section 154 (4) (3) A of the Act, 532 permissions to purchase land were granted, of which 88 cases have been identified for land use violations. Suits have been filed under Sections 166–167 in 42 of those cases.

Additionally, among the 963 land purchase permissions given under Section 154 (4) (3) (b), land use violations were found in 172 instances, with legal proceedings initiated in 112 of those. Under Section 154 (4) (1) (a), 147 land misuse cases are currently under process.

Breaking down the ongoing cases by district: 50 out of 77 cases are from Dehradun, followed by 20 in Haridwar, 17 in Pauri, 29 in Tehri, and 1 in Uttarkashi. In Almora, of the three identified cases, one parcel of land has already been vested in the state.

According to official data, a total of 3.006 hectares of land involved in land use violations has now been taken over by the state government. This includes:

• 0.040 hectares bought by M/s Trilok Gramodyog Seva Samiti for beekeeping at Kapkot, Bageshwar
• 1.653 hectares purchased by MS Standard Splints Ltd. in the name of D. Sevattha Pandey at Rudrapur, Udham Singh Nagar
• 0.555 hectares acquired by Bhavni Singh for agricultural purposes near Shri Kainchi Dham, Nainital
• 0.020 hectares bought for agriculture at Digoti Dwarahat, Almora
• 0.713 hectares purchased by Rainabari Health Resort for resort construction at Katarmal Chaukhutia, Almora
• 0.025 hectares bought by Pranav Singh from West Bengal for residential use at Kotuda, Almora

The state government has reiterated its commitment to protecting Uttarakhand’s land resources and ensuring they are used in line with legal and environmental standards.