Uttarakhand Government Seizes Land Owned By UP MLA Raja Bhaiya's Wife

The Nainital District Administration confiscated over 27.5 nali of land belonging to Bhanvi Singh as it was not being used for the purpose stated.

Nainital:In an attempt to protect agricultural land from acquisition by ‘outsiders’, the Nainital district administration has confiscated over half a hectare (27.5 nali) of land belonging to Bhanvi Singh, the estranged wife of Uttar Pradesh MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh, also popularly known as Raja Bhaiya. Raja Bhaiya, known as UP’s ‘strongman’ lawmaker, is an MLA (Jansatta Dal Loktantrik) from the Kunda Assembly.

On Friday, Patwari (revenue official) Ravi Pandey carried out the formalities of taking possession of the land under Section 167 of the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms (Amendment) Act, 1950 as it violated section 154 (4) (3) (b) of the ZALR (Amendment) Act, Kainchi Dham Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vipin Chandra Pant said.

The land, located under the Kainchi Dham subdivision, was bought in 2006 but never used for any productive agricultural reason. Explaining the reason behind their confiscation, Pant cited section 154 (4) (3) (b) of the ZALR (Amendment) Act stating they require the land to be used for 'its sanctioned purpose' within two years of its purchase.

"However, for a long time, no farming-related work of any kind was being done on this land, Pant said. Raja Bhaiy and his wife Bhanvi Singh are believed to be living separately now.

Why Was Singh Served Notice? Although Singh had fenced the land with barbed wire to prevent encroachment, no sign of farming or agriculture-related activity was noticed. Hereafter, she was served a notice. The state government formally took possession of the land after she lost her appeal.

Why Was Such An Action Taken?The stringent move is believed to have been taken in keeping with the Uttarakhand government's decision to enforce strong land laws in the state. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had recently warned that strict land laws will soon be implemented in the state, possibly by the next assembly session to stop people from buying limitless land in the state.

Land not being used by buyers for the purpose stated at the time of buying will be taken back by the state government, the CM said earlier at a press conference in Dehradun.

Current Condition:The land is now under government control and the fencing has been removed. The property is estimated to be worth between Rs 14 crore- Rs 15 crore.