BJP leader meets panel over ‘demographic change’ in some areas of U’khand

Uttarakhand BJP leader Ajendra Ajay on Wednesday met the head of a committee examining proposed amendments in land laws over an alleged influx of population in certain areas of the state causing demographic change.

At a meeting with former chief secretary Subhash Kumar, who heads the panel, Ajay said the influx of population in some of the hill areas with members of a particular community buying land there on a large scale is a cause of concern.

Information also keeps coming in about secret construction of their places of worship in these areas, he alleged.

Ajay sought stringent land laws barring outsiders from buying land in the hill areas and construction of religious places by a particular community.

The BJP leader had also written to the chief minister recently warning of demographic change in certain areas of the state due to rapid population growth.

Following this, the state government had directed the DGP, all DMs and SSPs last week to take precautionary steps to address the problem.

It asked the officials to constitute committees in all districts that will offer suggestions to the administration for addressing the issue.

Ajay told Kumar that revered Hindu centres of faith including Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri are located in the hilly areas of the state from where holy rivers like the Ganga and Yamuna also originate.

He also pointed out that India's borders are located with China and Nepal in the state.

Kumar assured Ajay that he will take suggestions from all sections before submitting his report to the government on amendments in state land laws.