Himachal Pradesh to amend Act for transfer of Radha Soami hospital land

The Himachal Government is planning to amend the Land Ceiling Act, 1972, to facilitate the transfer of Radha Soami Satsang hospital land at Bhota in Hamirpur to its sister organisation. The move is aimed at exempting the charitable institution from paying Rs 2 crore in GST.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today confirmed that a draft was being prepared to bring about an ordinance in this regard. The Bill on amendment would be tabled in the winter session of the Vidhan Sabha in December.

“The Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) wants to transfer the land to its sister organisation. Since there are some hurdles due to the Land Ceiling Act, we are examining the legal aspects,” Sukhu told mediapersons.

“They are a charitable institution offering free treatment but have to pay nearly Rs 2 crore in GST, which is not correct. So we are seeing how land can be transferred to the sister organisation to save this amount,” he said.

The amendment will pave the way for the transfer of land from the RSSB to the Maharaja Jagat Singh Medical Relief Society, the sister organisation running the Bhota Charitable Hospital.

The RSSB, a religious charitable institution, is exempt under the Land Ceiling Act from holding excess land. However, it cannot transfer the land by way of sale, gift, will or mortgage. As such, the Act has to be amended for the hospital land transfer to happen.

Sukhu said the government was examining the legal aspects. “The previous BJP regime did not accept this plea and makes statements only to draw mileage,” he said. The Congress government would not hesitate to amend the law to help all other organisations engaged in social service, he said. Amending the Land Ceiling Act has remained a contentious issue. The previous BJP government had turned down a plea by the RSSB.