UP govt may re-consider Nazul land bill amid BJP, allies’ opposition

New Delhi: Just two days after passing the Uttar Pradesh Nazul Property (Management and Use for Public Purposes) Bill by the legislative assembly, the state government is likely to agree on re-considering the bill given the criticism not only from the Opposition but within the ruling party and from its allies, too.

Considering that Nazul land has been in use by many people across different cities of UP for decades, the bill was referred to a select committee by the UP Legislative Council on Thursday.

UP BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Choudhary had asked the chair to refer it to a select committee of the UP Legislative Council.


"Since Choudhary is BJP's UP unit chief, he must have consulted the government as well as top party leaders before requesting the chair in the UP Legislative Council to refer the bill to a select committee," a source in BJP said. According to him, some BJP legislators were upset with a few provisions of the bill, and they wanted the state government to make the required amendments in it. The bill was tabled in the House on Thursday after the state cabinet cleared it.

"I hope the select committee will consult different people and the stakeholders and then submit its reports within two months," the source further added.

The bill aims to prevent the conversion of Nazul land into private freeholds. Nazul lands refers to "land owned by the state government but often not directly administered as state properties across the state". Almost every city of the UP has this category of land and several people reside there after getting lease renewals.

Earlier, BJP MLA Harsh Vajpayee had also raised objections over the bill by highlighting the possible adverse impact of the bill on the poor people who use Nazul lands.

According to one provision of the bill, the government may either continue the lease of leaseholders of Nazul land whose lease is still continuing and who have been depositing the lease rent regularly and have not violated any conditions of lease, on such terms as the government may prescribe from time to time or determine such leases. The bill also mentions that after expiry of the lease period, such land shall be deemed to be re-entered upon by the state government.

As per the bill, all existing Nazul land leaseholders shall be required to provide details of the Nazul land and building and the utilisation of the Nazul land and building in conformity of the lease conditions before the district magistrate within a period of three months from the appointed date.

Any non-compliance with the above requirement will be an adverse factor while the government may act in regard to further considerations of all existing Nazul land leases.

The Opposition, including SP and Congress, had already opposed this bill in the UP assembly.

Former minister and Jansatta Dal Loktantrik leader Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya had also opposed this bill.

Union minister of state for health Anupriya Patel, ally of BJP, has also termed the bill "unnecessary" and "against the sentiment of common people". She had demanded that the UP government should withdraw this bill.