Kinnauris face tough time over allotment of Nautor land
Bhanu P Lohumi
Tribune News Service
Shimla, August 25
The decision of the Divisional Commissioner, Shimla, to summon over 500 tribals from Kinnaur district in regard to the judgment of the Himachal High Court ruling that even government employees belonging to SC and ST category would not eligible for grant of Nautor land has forced Kinnauris to face a tough time.
RP Negi, a tribal, said as many as 534 persons from Kinnaur were asked by the Divisional Commissioner to come to Shimla as the Himachal High Court had ruled on June 25 that employees belonging to SC and ST category were not eligible for grant of the Nautor land under the Himachal Pradesh Nautor Land Rules, 1968, but it was physically impossible to entertain such a large number of persons.
In other districts, people were asked to come to their respective district headquarters but affected employees from Kinnaur district were asked to come to Shimla and made to wait, he rued.
“Firstly, we suffered a torturous journey due to pathetic condition of the roads to come to Shimla and now there is endless wait for the turn,” he said, adding that even if the Divisional Commissioners talks to every person for one minute, nine hours are required to complete the deliberations. It would have been better that the people were called to Reckong Peo or should have called to Shimla on two or three days,” said Prithvi, another tribal.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court had taken strong notice of grant of Nautor land to ineligible persons in violation of Nautor Rules and directed Financial Commissioners (appeals) to review all such cases and pass detailed speaking orders in cases in wherein allotment has been made in the violation of rules.
Dismissing the appeal of one Gopinder Singh, a government employee, against cancellation of Nautor land granted to him, the Division Bench of the High Court consisting Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Sureshwar Thakur had in an order on June 25, 2015, said, “Startling revelation have been made about the manner in which the land has been allotted to government employees, who were not entitled to the same under The Himachal Pradesh Nautor Land Rules, 1968.”
