Shimla: Questioning the legality land deals by Tibetans in Himachal, who hold a refugee status in country; chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today stated that the government would not hesitate to cancel them and vest the properties in the state should the courts uphold the illegality.
A judicial probe has tumbled upon even tea estate land having been allocated to Tibetans by the previous congress governments under Virbhadra Singh as chief minister, said Dhumal.
“If the probe and courts finds any illegality in these allocations, the state government could cancel them,” he said.
With a petition about land deals by Tibetans pending before HP High Court, legality of several properties purchased by the exiles at Dharamshala, Mcleodganj, Kullu, Manali, Rewalsar, Shimla and Solan are under the scanner.
“The previous congress government had conveniently turned a blind eye to this issue,” said Dhumal who was responding to a charge by Virbhadra Singh that in contravention of state land laws, the government had allowed sale and change of land use of a tea estate to leading lawyer Prashant Bhushan who is part of Team Anna.
Bhushan is said to have bought the tea estate in the name of an educational society for setting up an institution.
“If Virbhadra Singh has any objections about some land deals, he should point out the case before the Justice (Retd) DP Sood judicial commission that is probing all benami land deals in the state,” said Dhumal.
Responding to the remark by the union minister that scam after scam were surfacing in the Dhumal government, the chief minister said that it did not behove of a man who was himself facing a criminal case.
Reacting to the UPA government move to curtail the powers of the election commission, Dhumal said such a move in the midst of elections being held for various state assemblies was unilateral and unwarranted.
“Matters such as powers of the election commission should be discussed at a time when no elections are being held and the only considered, he said.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
