Shimla: Demanding a repeal of Apartment Act, the opposition congress
held that the amendments dilutions carried out in it as well as HP
Land Reforms and Tenancy Act, 1972 had practically defeated the
purposes for which the legislations had been carried out.
Congress spokesman Kuldeep Pathania said that chief minister Prem
Kumar Dhumal was wriggling out of its assurance put before the state
assembly for repealing the Apartment Act which was blatantly being
misused for permitting colonizers and hoteliers from planning huge
projects in congested cities like Shimla.
Congress would adopt a tough posture in the forthcoming monsoon
session. Protesting on the various issues, the party would hold a
padyatra from Solan and ghearao the Vidhan Sabha during the session,
he added.
He said the intention of Apartment Act was to regulate constructions
and de-congest crowded cities but it was being misused for the very
opposite purpose.
Citing the case of Bamloe constructions and the recent proposal of
turning Bantony Estate located right on the Mall Road into a spa
resort as blatant misuse of the building laws.
The congress spokesman said that section 118 of the land reforms act
had been misused for permitting private universities to buy huge land
areas in the state. Should congress return to power in 2012, our party
will remove the clause in the university acts that permit ownership of
land and assets on it, should a university fail to run an institution
after 25 years, he said.
Not just congress affiliated NSUI but SFI and BJP affiliated ABVP were
opposed to privatization of education but the government had doled out
institution after institution, rendering the very meaning of
university into nothing, he said.
However, the party supported the government’s stance in amending the
state lands to the extend for permitting long term residents to buy
agricultural land for constructing houses.
About constitution of the state executive committee, Pathania said
that it was a balanced exercise, in which all factions, regional
aspirations and senior leadership had been due representation.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads the team of media professionals at Hill Post.
In a career spanning over two decades through all formats of journalism in Electronic, Print and Online Media, he brings with him enough experience to steer this platform. He lives in Shimla.
