Uttarakhand Plans Ordinance To Prevent Criminals From Buying Land

The Uttarakhand government will soon introduce an ordinance to tighten the laws for buying land in the state to prevent people with criminal antecedents from making such purchases, sources said on Friday.

According to the proposed ordinance, the background of prospective buyers and their purpose of making the purchase will be thoroughly examined before they are permitted to do so.

However, there is no clarity yet on whether the ordinance will apply only to prospective land buyers from outside Uttarakhand or those from within the state too.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has moved a proposal on the matter at a Cabinet meeting here recently and was authorised by the ministers to bring such an ordinance, official sources said.

The move comes close on the heels of Dhami expressing concern over "land jihad" in Uttarakhand.

At a function in Kaladhungi in Nainital district last month the chief minister claimed that more than 1,000 acres of land have been "grabbed" in the state under the pretext of building mazars and other structures.

He also warned of demolishing the encroachments if the plots of land "occupied illegally" are not vacated.

The process of demolishing land encroachments has already begun in the state. Dhami has asked officials to develop a mechanism to ensure that encroachers do not re-occupy government land after being removed from there.

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