The Uttarakhand Cabinet approved a new draft legislation, which prohibits people from outside the state from buying agricultural and horticultural land in 11 out of 13 districts.
This legislation will be presented during the ongoing Budget Session of the Assembly. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami hailed this decision as a landmark move, emphasising the government’s commitment to safeguarding the state’s culture and heritage.
Under the proposed law, non-residents will be barred from purchasing agricultural and horticultural land across most districts, except Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar. District magistrates will no longer have authority to approve such transactions. Additionally, a dedicated online portal will be established to record all land transactions involving outsiders, with a requirement for them to submit affidavits to prevent fraud.
If enacted, this legislation will supersede provisions introduced during the tenure of Trivendra Singh Rawat in 2017, which allowed land purchases outside municipal areas. The new law also mandates strict land-use regulations within municipal boundaries, with violations resulting in government seizure of the land. This move addresses longstanding concerns over demographic shifts and aims to preserve the state’s original identity.
The issue of land ownership by non-residents has been contentious since Uttarakhand’s inception in 2000, with previous governments implementing varying restrictions. The Congress party has criticised the earlier amendments under Rawat, arguing that they facilitated exploitation of the state’s resources by outsiders. Comparisons have been drawn to Himachal Pradesh’s stricter land laws, where non-agriculturists can only acquire land with special permissions for specific purposes like industry or tourism.
