The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Friday passed four bills, including the landmark Himachal Pradesh Land Limits (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which allows religious, spiritual and charitable organizations to transfer up to 30 acres or structures for religious and charitable purposes.
The Bill requests that the Radha Somi Satsang Byas (RSSB), a leading religious and spiritual institution, transfer the Bhota Charitable Hospital to its sister institution, the Maharaja Jagat Singh Medical Relief Society (MJSMRS) of Hamirpur district.
It was passed amid heated debate between the ruling Congress and the opposition after BJP leaders demanded that the Himachal Pradesh Land Boundary (Amendment) Bill, 2024 be referred to a select committee for further consideration.
CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu dismissed the demand as an “opposition” to the amendment bill, which caused resentment among opposition leaders.
Leader of the Opposition (LOP) Jai Ram Thakur asked Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania to remove the word “opposition” used by the CM and asserted that the opposition was not against any religious or spiritual organization.
Defending his demand to send the bill to a select committee, Thakur said, “We all have great respect for the RSSB. However, this bill needs further investigation. We accept the good intentions of the government, but strongly suspect that the revised Bill may be misused in the interests of Himachal Pradesh. Therefore, the bill should be sent to the Select Committee.”
Reacting to Thakur’s statement, Sakhu said, “The opposition’s stand shows that they are against spiritual and religious institutions. The amended bill includes safeguards to protect the interests of Himachal Pradesh. He also accused some BJP MLAs of inciting locals to protest and forced the RSSB to open the hospital last month.
Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi has also criticized the opposition and defended the amendment bill. He said, ‘During the tenure of former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, the government had issued a notice to benefit the RSSB without a formal law. In contrast, we have introduced a strong amendment to Section 5 of the Himachal Pradesh Land Limitation Act, 1972, allowing religious, social, and spiritual organizations to transfer land only for charitable, spiritual, or religious purposes – and only once. This discount can be availed only once and no more.”
After its formation on January 25, 1971, the Himachal Pradesh Land Holdings Act, 1972, was first enacted during the tenure of CM YS Parmar to protect the interests of the residents of the state. The Act aims to prevent and regulate land alienation from local residents. The maximum amount of land an individual, family, or organization can own. When enacted, many individuals, including the royal families of former princely states, had to surrender additional land to comply with the provisions of the Act.
Since 1972, the Act has undergone several amendments to address the needs of residents, expanding industry, horticulture, and government agencies. In the year 2023, it was amended to give equal property rights to daughters and give them the right to 150 bighas more than the ancestral property. There are currently 28 sections in the Act.
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