Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha puts Section 118 Amendment Bill on hold

The Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on Friday put on hold the amendment Bill seeking changes to Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972.

The Bill has now been referred to a Select Committee of the House for further examination.

Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania announced the decision after accepting a request made by BJP MLA Randhir Sharma, which was supported by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

He said the Select Committee would include members from both the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP. “The Select Committee, after discussion, will submit its report to the Vidhan Sabha in the budget session,” the Speaker said.

The Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi will constitute the committee and issue the notification.

The proposed amendment Bill, introduced by Negi on December 2, sought to simplify land transfer procedures to encourage private investment in the state. At present, Section 118 restricts the transfer of land to non-agriculturists through sale, gift, will, exchange, lease, mortgage with possession or creation of tenancy.