The Himachal Pradesh government has appointed a commission to look into all the illegal (benami) land transactions that have taken place since 2003 in the state. The commission will be headed by a retired High Court judge, D P Sood. It will give its report within six months to the state government.
These transactions have transferred agricultural land to non-agriculturists, in gross violation of Section 118 of the State Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, that was later revised in 2007. The commission will inquire into these cases. It will also examine all violations regarding issuance of Essentiality Certificate under the Himachal Pradesh Apartment and Property Regulation Act, 2005, since its inception.
Observers see today’s move by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government as a result of pressure from the Opposition in the past, alleging that the number of land deals have been on the rise in the hill state.
The period will cover Congress’ five years and the ruling BJP’s three-and-a-half years. According to the State Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, people not originally from the state cannot buy land in Himachal Pradesh without the state government's permission; and also non-farming communities cannot buy agriculture land.