Dehra Dun : The Supreme Court has stayed the orders of the Uttarakhand High Court which had cancelled the ceiling imposed by the state government on the amount of agricultural land that could be bought in Uttarakhand. The decision was given on a writ petition filed by the state government.
Challenging the orders of the Uttarakhand High Court in the apex court, the state government had contended that of the total geographical area of this tiny mountain state, just 12 per cent of it was agricultural land.
The ceiling on the amount of agricultural land that could be bought had been imposed by the state government to prevent misuse of this land for other purposes.
The state government had also contended that Uttarakhand shares its borders with China and there were fears that agricultural land bought in the sensitive zone could be misused for purposes that could put the very defence of the country into jeopardy.
It contended that the Uttarakhand High Court had not taken these aspects into consideration while holding illegal the ceiling that the state government had imposed on the purchase of agricultural land, adding that amendments had been made in the Act to accommodate builders, professionals and industrialists.
A journalist with over 40 years of experience, Jagdish Bhatt was Editor, Hill Post (Uttarakhand).
Jagdish had worked with India’s leading English dailies, which include Times of India, Indian Express, Pioneer and several other reputed publications. A highly acclaimed journalist, he was a recipient of many awards
Jagdish Bhatt, aged 72, breathed his last on 28th August 2021 at his Dehradun residence.
THE DECISION OF THE STATE GOVT REGARDING THE CEILING
OF AGRICULTURAL FOR NATIONAL SECURITY IS SEEMS TO BE
RIGHT.