The Government in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday slammed the door onsaleof tea gardens allowed under certain clauses of the Land Ceiling Act after passage of the Himachal Pradesh Ceiling on Land Holdings (Amendment) Bill, 2021, in the state assembly on the last day of the budget session. Once thebillis approved by the governor, it will be sent to the President for his assent.
The Himachal Pradesh Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1972 (Act No 19 of 1973), was enacted to put a ceiling on the big landholdings. However, with an objective to promote tea in the state, the lands under tea estate were exempted from the operation of the Act under clause (g) of Section 5 of this Act. The bill seeks to remove the clauses that allowed sale of land under tea gardens.
The bill was tabled in the assembly last year, but it was referred to the select committee following protests by the opposition parties.