The Himachal Pradesh Govt has ordered action in all cases of illegal land deals pointed out by a one-man judicial commission. The Government has directed all deputy Commissioners to initiate action in cases wherein the commission has recommended that the “property in question” be vested in government, free from all encumbrances.
Commission has pointed out about 40 colonisers and indicated that the revenue and other officers’ involvement in “illegal” land deals. To find the real culprit, Deputy Commissioners have started scrutiny of “questioned documents and other records pertaining to various land deals”. The report seems to have come as a shot in the arm for the ruling BJP as most of the land deals named by the commission took place before December 2007 when the Congress was in power in the state.
Incidentally, the commission was formed to probe allegations of ‘Benami Deals’ made by the Congress. Besides confiscation of property, acquired illegally or by subverting the relevant laws, the government is also contemplating registration of “criminal cases” against the erring colonisers for violation of laws.
Principal Secretary Revenue, Deepak Sanan confirmed that the action against the defaulter colonisers had been initiated on the basis of the report of the commission which probed ‘benami’ (illegal) land transactions and violations of statutory provisions and administrative procedures in the state from 2003 to 2011. The commission suggests vesting of the land of 42 builders in the government most of whom were given permission to construct ultra-luxury cottages between 2006 and 2007 under the Apartments Act of 2005.
