By: Gumman Singh
Himachal Pradesh has been going though great transformation in the last one decade due to industrialisation and opening up of the state for non-Himachalis. The ill-effects of this mindless exploitation of natural resources in the name of development is very much visible in the form of social strife that has cropped up due to ecological changes and disparity in opportunities to earn a living. The proposed amendment in Section 118 of HP Tenancy and Land Reform Act by the government during the ongoing Vidhan Sabha session will only add to the existing problem.
The amendment would alienate Himachali farmer and open the doors for outsiders to easily grab agricultural land in the name of industries, tourism, housing colonies, which would actually benefit non-Himachali industrialists, colonizers and builder mafia. The government should understand that rich people from outside are not interested in purchasing land for agriculture purpose but for business, tourism, residence and summer bungalows for leisure. In this way, land in Himachal will become a jungle of houses and concrete. Local people will become resourceless, lose social and political command and become paupers in their own land.
The state is already facing crisis of water and the forest cover is decreasing. New influxes of population supported by this amendment will worsen the situation and Himalayan environment will be damaged further, which will increase the national crisis of climate change.
The alienation of Himachali land-dependent majority will also create law and order problem in the future. However, the lease provisions for agriculture purpose are acceptable, but with the condition that land should be leased to Himachali farmers only. In July 2009. HP government also tried to relax Section 118 by handing over power to tehsil-level officers for granting relaxation powers of Sec-118, which was opposed and ultimately shelved but now under what pressure the government is again bringing a worse version of the amendment is not understandable. This amendment is anti-poor and also against middle-class Himachalis, who comprise 90% of the state population.
Such a move to relax Sec-18 time and again is highly deplorable and should be opposed be all those who understand the fallouts of local population being alienated from their land, commons and prosperities. The very sprit of Section 118 was to protect the interest of local mountain people from the moneyed outsiders with whom local people cannot compete financially and therefore no such move should be initiated to dilute it.
(The writer is state coordinator of Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, a HImachal-based environment and sustainable living advocacy organisation)
Gumman ji, thanks for sharing the views about section 118. However there are some genuine concerns as well. E.g. Shimla has severe shortage of housing, the cost of owning a flat is higher then what we get in Panchkula and Chandigarh. Also tourism is one industry which needs impetus of funds and can be environment friendly as well. So I think instead of just opposing modifications we need to suggest improvements in the act as well.
Gumman ji, thanks for sharing the views about section 118. However there are some genuine concerns as well. E.g. Shimla has severe shortage of housing, the cost of owning a flat is higher then what we get in Panchkula and Chandigarh. Also tourism is one industry which needs impetus of funds and can be environment friendly as well. So I think instead of just opposing modifications we need to suggest improvements in the act as well.
If a non himachali will settle in Himachal, It will be a great threat to our culture. We should think and react to this act.
i hope u hav heard the word "globalization" and also himachalis buy land and sale and also settles in other states of india, so y stop others who wants to settle here ?
Hello Deepak, pliz dont go back to isolationism. it is time for globalism now. I m sure many Himachalis are also moving out of ur state to seek life's opportunities elsewhere… right ? Then y hold such fanatic views ?? Always march forward with hopes and opportunities. And yes… U are scared of ur culture being destroyed. History tells us that Hindusim has survived through the tests of time up til now. Be proud of that !! And also, Hinduism is as vast as the open sky and as deep as the deepest of oceans. Why then should you hold such narrow views and approach which contradicts ur faith teachings ???
If a non himachali will settle in Himachal, It will be a great threat to our culture. We should think and react to this act.
i hope u hav heard the word "globalization" and also himachalis buy land and sale and also settles in other states of india, so y stop others who wants to settle here ?
Hello Deepak, pliz dont go back to isolationism. it is time for globalism now. I m sure many Himachalis are also moving out of ur state to seek life's opportunities elsewhere… right ? Then y hold such fanatic views ?? Always march forward with hopes and opportunities. And yes… U are scared of ur culture being destroyed. History tells us that Hindusim has survived through the tests of time up til now. Be proud of that !! And also, Hinduism is as vast as the open sky and as deep as the deepest of oceans. Why then should you hold such narrow views and approach which contradicts ur faith teachings ???
i am real himachali and i agree with you. noone should buy even a piece of land in himachal pradesh because its out birthplace
Dear Deepak Ji,
Why do you think so that Non himachalis are theat to your culture,when all Himachalis come to all over India ,they adopt the local culture and when Non Himachalis come to himachal,they will also do the same.,Is the cultue so weak that it is threatned…I think No…the cultue is the result of belief of so many generations and people and does not change like that…..Instead it balances the society…I am married to a himachali and living prosperly in Delhi.
So be open to the opening society…Non Himachalis are also human beings and are Indians as Himachalis are.you cant be Himachali and not Indian….
Cheers…it could become serious….if politicians listen to this…..so be calm…
Dear Deepak Ji,
Why do you think so that Non himachalis are theat to your culture,when all Himachalis come to all over India ,they adopt the local culture and when Non Himachalis come to himachal,they will also do the same.,Is the cultue so weak that it is threatned…I think No…the cultue is the result of belief of so many generations and people and does not change like that…..Instead it balances the society…I am married to a himachali and living prosperly in Delhi.
So be open to the opening society…Non Himachalis are also human beings and are Indians as Himachalis are.you cant be Himachali and not Indian….
Cheers…it could become serious….if politicians listen to this…..so be calm…
Tibetans have been living in Himachal since past 50 years. Yet what special status do they get ?? what does the law says in this regard regarding their rights to certain rights here. Modification in the section 188 is essential. In fact all different sections of laws should be reviewed and modified time and again in order to fall in line with the today's changing realities. any law set some 3 to 4 decades before cant be suitable in today's time. Let's open up and be optimistic those in high places !!!!
Tibetans have been living in Himachal since past 50 years. Yet what special status do they get ?? what does the law says in this regard regarding their rights to certain rights here. Modification in the section 188 is essential. In fact all different sections of laws should be reviewed and modified time and again in order to fall in line with the today's changing realities. any law set some 3 to 4 decades before cant be suitable in today's time. Let's open up and be optimistic those in high places !!!!
the arguments given above regarding the relevance of HP Tenancy Act and Land Reform Act and particularly its sec 118 is triggering much debate in every platform today. As for as my opinion on this act is concern, it is still relevant today and other hill states like Uttrakhand and Jammu and Kashmir are either emulating similar legislations or already had some of them .
The basic purpose of bill is not to debar the non-himachali to get the ownership of land or property in the state but rather to protect the vulnerable people who are innocent, uneducated, landlocked and have no exposure to rest of world and about the threats of being victim of any crime.
Being Himachali I am aware of fact that there are such example which had lead the our legislators to coined such law. My parent told me that a near by villager was cheated by a cleaver persons in-lieu of cigarette and he transfered his entire property to him. There are number of similar cases where vulnerable people allured by the moneylenders to sold their limited property in the state not by outsider but to insider too.
During the beginning of seventy when Our state leadership witnessed that number of properties were being sold by villagers to big fishes of Bomby and other part of country the designed the Act.
I have also being told by my father and grand parents that they had to handover huge part of their ancestral land to cultivators who have been engaged by them to sow their crops on the fields and they in turn gave some produces to us on lease basis. The fact is that my fathers and forefathers lost the land which was transfered or vested by state government to people most of them were belong to low castes the next generation of them are still thriving on these checks of land and getting handsome return out of it. My fathers and forefathers who were not happy with legislation at that time. But today I consider My self lucky on to have my ancestral land with some people who were marginal farmers they can claim themselves resident of Himachal or Himachali.
The Act is not draconian as peole claimed abut it. The harsh fact is that Himachal is very tiny state and its people share very small holdings which could not be simultaneously allowed to sold, tansfered to project, industry, to built real estates, colonies, institutions, stadium, big SEZ and for contract farming.
I am quoting figure from State 'ECONOMIC SURVEY REPORT OF YEAR 2009-10' , The bitter fact is that about 67 percent of HP farmers have less than 0.4 hactare land holdings with them as they are marginal farmers, about 20 percent of farmers have claim over less than 1.4 hect size of land . Most of agriculture land having with them are scattered. The only ten percent farmers could have holdings of above 1.4 which fall in semi, medium and large farmers category. An average farmer have ownership of 1.1 hact of land holdings. By quoting this figure I want to clarified that without sufficient land we could not produce crunchy and crispy Apple which only being produced in Himachal and some one or two states.
The good price of land could be much profitable for the people state but this is not good for the agriculture, tourism, apple and better climate. The glottalization is indeed universal phenomenon and being followed by humanity from centuries but law to protect the interest of vulnerable class or depleting climate, shattering economy should be preserved essentially.
The limited land, fragile ecology, depleting resources and increasing dependence on them are forcing legislative bodyies to all optimum use of them. The capital town shimla being build by Britisher for 25000 people today housing more than 2, 50,000 people. If anyone claim here that he want flat and plot in the town it is not easy task either for authority to provide it to outsider or insider being potential already exhausted but interesting fact is that people are getting flat her but land plot is rare. Similar is story of other towns in the state. As far is the rural area of state is concerned. If state would sold the land to outsider or insider we have to replace agriculture, horticulture or animal husbandry. The open meadows, glans, valley, mountain, tracks, roads, rivers, forests, moors and hill tops could be handover in lieu of money but it would not be available to one core fifty thousand tourists who visits to get enjoy of it/
The question is that why we are so bent upon to make himachal land sale-able when there are thousand of acres land barren in the rest of county. why should industry and farms should restricted to such places. I want to quote Mahatama Ghandiji here ' The nature can feed ones need but not greed
Thanks
ML. Verma
Shimla
the arguments given above regarding the relevance of HP Tenancy Act and Land Reform Act and particularly its sec 118 is triggering much debate in every platform today. As for as my opinion on this act is concern, it is still relevant today and other hill states like Uttrakhand and Jammu and Kashmir are either emulating similar legislations or already had some of them .
The basic purpose of bill is not to debar the non-himachali to get the ownership of land or property in the state but rather to protect the vulnerable people who are innocent, uneducated, landlocked and have no exposure to rest of world and about the threats of being victim of any crime.
Being Himachali I am aware of fact that there are such example which had lead the our legislators to coined such law. My parent told me that a near by villager was cheated by a cleaver persons in-lieu of cigarette and he transfered his entire property to him. There are number of similar cases where vulnerable people allured by the moneylenders to sold their limited property in the state not by outsider but to insider too.
During the beginning of seventy when Our state leadership witnessed that number of properties were being sold by villagers to big fishes of Bomby and other part of country the designed the Act.
I have also being told by my father and grand parents that they had to handover huge part of their ancestral land to cultivators who have been engaged by them to sow their crops on the fields and they in turn gave some produces to us on lease basis. The fact is that my fathers and forefathers lost the land which was transfered or vested by state government to people most of them were belong to low castes the next generation of them are still thriving on these checks of land and getting handsome return out of it. My fathers and forefathers who were not happy with legislation at that time. But today I consider My self lucky on to have my ancestral land with some people who were marginal farmers they can claim themselves resident of Himachal or Himachali.
The Act is not draconian as peole claimed abut it. The harsh fact is that Himachal is very tiny state and its people share very small holdings which could not be simultaneously allowed to sold, tansfered to project, industry, to built real estates, colonies, institutions, stadium, big SEZ and for contract farming.
I am quoting figure from State 'ECONOMIC SURVEY REPORT OF YEAR 2009-10' , The bitter fact is that about 67 percent of HP farmers have less than 0.4 hactare land holdings with them as they are marginal farmers, about 20 percent of farmers have claim over less than 1.4 hect size of land . Most of agriculture land having with them are scattered. The only ten percent farmers could have holdings of above 1.4 which fall in semi, medium and large farmers category. An average farmer have ownership of 1.1 hact of land holdings. By quoting this figure I want to clarified that without sufficient land we could not produce crunchy and crispy Apple which only being produced in Himachal and some one or two states.
The good price of land could be much profitable for the people state but this is not good for the agriculture, tourism, apple and better climate. The glottalization is indeed universal phenomenon and being followed by humanity from centuries but law to protect the interest of vulnerable class or depleting climate, shattering economy should be preserved essentially.
The limited land, fragile ecology, depleting resources and increasing dependence on them are forcing legislative bodyies to all optimum use of them. The capital town shimla being build by Britisher for 25000 people today housing more than 2, 50,000 people. If anyone claim here that he want flat and plot in the town it is not easy task either for authority to provide it to outsider or insider being potential already exhausted but interesting fact is that people are getting flat her but land plot is rare. Similar is story of other towns in the state. As far is the rural area of state is concerned. If state would sold the land to outsider or insider we have to replace agriculture, horticulture or animal husbandry. The open meadows, glans, valley, mountain, tracks, roads, rivers, forests, moors and hill tops could be handover in lieu of money but it would not be available to one core fifty thousand tourists who visits to get enjoy of it/
The question is that why we are so bent upon to make himachal land sale-able when there are thousand of acres land barren in the rest of county. why should industry and farms should restricted to such places. I want to quote Mahatama Ghandiji here ' The nature can feed ones need but not greed
Thanks
ML. Verma
Shimla
i think, every person has a right to save his or her Native culture. And so far we Himachalis have. Well , we can see that Land Mafia is Everywhere, so the day day is not so far when it would be in Himachal.. and then the day would not be so far when we lose our rich, Peaceful and spiritual culture."Human Always Value His Things When He Lose". Well if someone is saying that every Indian has a right to buy or Make property anywhere, Then I would say we Himachalis are different from rest of Indians. and Rest of Indians Don't have right to pollute our Culture. We can see in Different Tourist Places of Himachal that How descent are rest of indians..How they scatter junk everywhere.One can see the Examples in Rohtang and Shimla as well.
Even Himachalis girls should stop marrying to Outsider..and stop giving Birth to mix Race child. even one can see when tourists come how they treat and molest Himachali Girls.
Once J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Tibet were one(It is the combination of True Himalayan Kingdom). I just want To Request all Himachalis. .Please Join Hands To Save this Spiritual Heaven Land.
i think, every person has a right to save his or her Native culture. And so far we Himachalis have. Well , we can see that Land Mafia is Everywhere, so the day day is not so far when it would be in Himachal.. and then the day would not be so far when we lose our rich, Peaceful and spiritual culture."Human Always Value His Things When He Lose". Well if someone is saying that every Indian has a right to buy or Make property anywhere, Then I would say we Himachalis are different from rest of Indians. and Rest of Indians Don't have right to pollute our Culture. We can see in Different Tourist Places of Himachal that How descent are rest of indians..How they scatter junk everywhere.One can see the Examples in Rohtang and Shimla as well.
Even Himachalis girls should stop marrying to Outsider..and stop giving Birth to mix Race child. even one can see when tourists come how they treat and molest Himachali Girls.
Once J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Tibet were one(It is the combination of True Himalayan Kingdom). I just want To Request all Himachalis. .Please Join Hands To Save this Spiritual Heaven Land.
@ritu….
This in nt correct mam…not all fingers r same….
So nt all outsider r bad or craps…they love ur culture nd consider ur state as a heaven…so who will nt try to settle in a heaven lyk state…
Even mam m in love with a himachali girl from past 2 yr..we r going to marry in future nd this will nt going to spoil ur so called race..we r indians first of all yaar.
I knw some bunch of creeps r responsible for crimes in ur state..bt nothn is perfect..Perfect Bana Padta hai mere dost..so think nd discuss..
…
Thankz
Rahul
….
LAND REFORMS FROM OUTSIDERS SHOULD BE STOPPED IN HIMACHAL PRADESH AS SOON AS POSSIBLE .NAHI TO WAHI HAAL HOGA HIMACHAL PRADESH KA BHI JO RECENTLY UTTARAKAHAND KA HUA HAI………. WE SHOULD ALL MAKE A WEBSITE ABOUT THIS CONCERN AND SUBMIT TO CM OF HIMACHAL PRADESH TO STOP DIGRADATION!!! THINK ABOUT IT SERIOUSLY…
stop himachal pradesh devobhumi to be degrade
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