PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Uttarkashi
With a new controversy having erupted in Uttarakhand’s political landscape over alleged plans to make government and public lands available to private companies, the opposition Congress accused the State government and Uttarakhand Infrastructure and Industrial Development Board (UIIDB) of planning to hand over large parcels of lands in Dwari, Raithal and Harshil under Bhatwari block of the district to companies based outside the state, calling this a move detrimental to Uttarakhand’s interests.
The president of the Uttarkashi District Congress Committee, Pradeep Singh Rawat said in a press note following an inspection of Dwari Farm that the process of making valuable government and horticulture land across the state available to the private sector is worrying the people of Uttarakhand. “They have long demanded stringent land laws to control land purchases by outsiders, but the government seems to be moving in the opposite direction,” he added.
He further said that the requirements for obtaining land include an annual turnover of over Rs 500 crore. “In such a situation, small entrepreneurs and youth striving for self-employment cannot participate in the competition. If a plan is made to use government land, the local people should be the first to benefit,” he noted.
Rawat further demanded that residents of the Gram Sabha concerned and surrounding Gram Sabhas be given priority in land development projects. “Local people should be ensured priority access to employment, tourism and agriculture-based activities among other economic opportunities. Bypassing local communities in the name of development will trigger widespread opposition from them,” he added.
He said that Uttarakhand’s land, water and forests are not just resources but the foundation of the state’s identity and existence. “Congress workers will fight for their protection, if necessary, from the streets to judicial and democratic forums,” he added.
