No sale of land to non-locals : CM
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 22 2023: The State Government has adopted a decision to prohibit purchase of land by non-locals in the valley without approval of Gram Sabhas and Municipal Councils concerned.

This was stated by Chief Minister N Biren in response to a query raised by Opposition MLA K Ranjit in the State Assembly during question hour today.

Biren stated that the State Government has adopted a decision which would prohibit purchase and sale of lands by/to non-locals in the valley districts without approval of Gram Sabhas and Municipal Corporations/Councils.

Since its previous term, the BJP Government has been studying how to protect lands in the valley districts.

With the enforcement of the ILP Act, certain rules were framed under the same Act whereby non-locals are restricted from purchasing land in the State, Biren.

If any one wishes to purchase or register a plot of land in the valley, he/she should obtain approval of the Gram Sabha concerned.

The land could be sold only when the Gram Sabha issues no objection certificate or recommendation after identifying the purchaser as a local person, the Chief Minister told the House.

Likewise, no plot of land can be transferred without permission of Municipal Corporations/Councils and Nagar Panchayats in areas covered by them.

A gazette notification has been already issued to this effect, Biren continued.

Considering limitation of land in the valley districts for taking up development projects, a State planning authority has been constituted which would look into the requirements of the next 47 years.

In order to create a land bank, a team carried out an extensive survey and the team has already identified 42,852 acres.

Plans are also afoot to declare these identified areas including foothills as State land.

Efforts are also on to shift many Government offices to foothills, Biren said.

Reminding that the State Government has already adopted 1961 as the base year for identification of non-local people under ILPS, Biren said that there were earlier three categories viz; indigenous, native and permanent residents but considering the ambiguities and confusion that may be created by the term 'native', the particular category has been scrapped by a decision of the Cabinet.

Non-local people who have been living in the State since before 1961 although they were not born in the State would be categorised as permanent residents, the Chief Minister said.

He informed the House that a Cabinet Sub-Committee has been constituted to check purchase/sale of land in the valley districts and the sub-committee would also check if any land purchasers are non-locals.

Replying to a question raised by MLA Surjakumar Okram regarding Start-Up scheme, Biren claimed that there are 6498 beneficiaries or business units identified for financial support under the Start-Up scheme.

Of these, 5041 beneficiaries are receiving financial support under the scheme and 4719 units are running profitably.

Replying to another question raised by K Ranjit, Transport Minister Khashim Vashum, citing VAHAN data, said that there are 1,10,674 vehicles in the State which are more than 15 years old.

Out of these total vehicles which are fit to be scrapped, 6965 are diesel automobiles, Khashim Vashum said.

However, whether a vehicle should be scrapped or not is not determined by age but by its fitness.

Nonetheless, vehicles belonging to the Government, public sector units, autonomous bodies, State transport undertakings, municipalities, corporations and panchayats should be scrapped on reaching 15 years as per Central Motor Vehicle Rules, Section 52 A .

The State would start implementing the same rule with effect from April 1 this year, the Transport Minister said.

The Government has been studying to cover private vehicles too under the same rule.

If the conditions of the vehicles are still good, some more time may be given to them, he added.

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