Last Updated on 02/08/2024 by wccexam Desk
The Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh is surrounded by a new bill on Nazul property. The bill was passed in the UP Assembly, but got stuck in the Legislative Council the very next day. It got stuck not only because of the opposition, but the BJP MLAs themselves also opposed it. Now this bill has been sent to the Select Committee.
The Yogi government had passed an ordinance on March 5 this year regarding Nazul land. The Governor had also approved it. But to make it a law, it was necessary to bring it in the assembly. Therefore, on July 31, the UP Nazul Property (Management and Use for Public Purpose) Bill 2024 was introduced. That day, despite heavy opposition, this bill was passed.
But the next day, i.e. on August 1, when it was brought in the Legislative Council, BJP state president and Legislative Council member Bhupendra Chaudhary opposed it. He demanded that this bill be sent to the Select Committee. Now any decision will be taken on this only after the report of the Select Committee comes.
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If it was passed in the Legislative Assembly, then how did it get stuck in the Legislative Council?
There was already opposition to this bill regarding Nazul property. The opposition was against it, and many BJP leaders were also openly opposing it.
Anupriya Patel, a minister in the central Modi government, had also opposed it and called it a bill brought in haste. Anupriya Patel had demanded the immediate withdrawal of this bill.
It is believed that as a part of strategy, this bill has been stalled in the Legislative Council. It is being told that after the bill was passed in the assembly, many MLAs had met CM Yogi Adityanath separately and suggested many amendments to it. The MLAs had expressed concern that lakhs of people would be affected by the passing of the bill and whenever the administration wants, it will snatch away the land of these people who have been settled there for generations.
Chief Minister Yogi also felt that perhaps this was a hasty step, so he allowed it to be shelved. Since this bill was passed by the Legislative Assembly, it has been postponed for two months through the Select Committee in the Legislative Council.
What was the reason for opposition to the bill?
This bill was being opposed from the very beginning. When this bill was brought in the assembly, Samajwadi Party MLAs reached the well in protest. The interesting thing is that some MLAs from BJP and allied parties also opposed it.
BJP MLA Harsh Vardhan Bajpai and former minister Siddharth Nath Singh, NDA ally Nishad Party and Jansatta Dal (Democratic) MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya also opposed it.
Siddharth Nath Singh had demanded that the lease of those who have been living on Nazul land for years by giving lease or those who are paying installments for free-hold should also be renewed.
While opposing this bill, Raja Bhaiya had said that this will make thousands of people homeless. The property rights should be clear. The poor should have the right to get the Nazul land free-hold.
What such provisions were there in this bill?
– There was a provision in the bill that the applications pending with the court or authority regarding change in ownership of Nazul land will be considered rejected.
– The amount deposited by the people for getting the Nazul land free-hold will be returned at the interest rate of State Bank of India (SBI).
– If the lease rent has been deposited on time and there is no violation of the lease conditions, then the Nazul land will not be taken back from the lessee. If the lease expires or there is some dispute, the government will take possession of the land.
– The complete ownership of Nazul land will not be given to any person or organization. Nazul land will be used only for public use.
– If the rules have not been violated, then you can get your lease renewed for 30 years. If you do not want to renew, then you will have the option of taking your money back. Whereas earlier, you could take a lease for 99 years.
– If there is no dispute on Nazul land, then the government can consider making it free-hold. In this case, the collector will take a decision only after hearing the lease holder’s side.
What does the government have to say?
While presenting this bill in the assembly, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna had put forward many arguments. He said that land is urgently needed for development.
He had said, due to the earlier policies, many types of claims have been made and land has become a burden on the banks. In view of the need for land, it is not in the interest of Uttar Pradesh to continue these policies and to allow the conversion of Nazul land into free-hold in public interest.
Suresh Khanna claimed that the government will not vacate the land of the poor. He said that relief has been given to the economically weak people and their houses will not be vacated. First, arrangements will be made for their rehabilitation.
He said, under the Constitution, Nazul land belongs to the government and people cannot get ownership rights over it. If the authority has allotted it, then land will not be taken away from any person. The lease of those who have deposited money will be renewed. He said that people should understand that government land is used for public welfare and development.
But what is this Nazul land?
Before independence, when the kings and princes who rebelled against the British rule were defeated, the British army would usurp their lands. Not only these, but anyone’s land was usurped.
After independence, the Britishers lost control over these lands, but the owners did not have any documents or proof to prove their ownership. In such a situation, the government took possession of these properties. In this way, these lands were registered as Nazul land and their ownership was handed over to the state governments.
The land which is registered in the name of Nazul in government records can be transferred, but the ownership rights cannot be changed. That is, the government will remain the owner of that land, but any other person or organization can use it.
Usually, state governments use these Nazul lands for public use. For example, schools, hospitals or panchayat offices are built here. The government also gives many lands on lease. This lease is for 15 to 99 years.
What would happen if the bill became law?
There are more than 25 thousand hectares of Nazul lands in Uttar Pradesh. The government leases out most of the lands to individuals or institutions.
Thousands of people have built their houses on Nazul land. People have been saving money for years in the hope of getting freehold of these lands. But now they are afraid that forget about freehold, the government will snatch this land from them.
It is also being claimed that if this bill becomes a law, then the lease of Nazul land will not be extended. Those whose lease has expired will not get a new lease. The government will vacate such land and take it under its possession.
However, the Yogi government claims that this bill was brought so that these lands could be used for development projects. But this has also raised the risk of lakhs of people becoming homeless. Currently, this bill has been sent to the Select Committee and any decision will be taken only after its report comes.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)