Dehra Dun, Nov 04: Faced with wide-spread protests over the land ordinance in Uttaranchal, the state government has set up a cabinet sub-committee to review the measure and suggest changes, official sources said today. The decision to set up the sub-committee came after the main opposition BJP and sants and sadhus in Haridwar joined forces to oppose the land ordinance that barred outsiders to buy agricultural land in Uttaranchal.
The committee, headed by Information Minister Indira Hridayesh and Transport Minister Hira Singh Bisht would study the ordinance in detail and suggest changes, if any, keeping in mind the aspirations of the people of the state. A cabinet approval in this regard has been taken, they said.
Significantly, another committee headed by state Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Vijay Bahuguna had already given its recommendations last month.
The Bahuguna Committee suggested all those enrolled in the voters list be entitled to buy agricultural land in the state.
The ordinance is mainly being opposed in plain areas of Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar districts where Samajwadi Party has claimed that the ordinance curtailed the rights of local population.
In another move, the BJP virtually opposed the new ordinance by demanding its review by an expert committee.
"We are demanding its total review by a committee of experts," said BJP state president Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, who described the ordinance as a "hasty measure."
Bureau Report