CPM Joins Anti-Section 118 Amendment Chorus, Warns of Statewide Stir
Shimla, October 27:
The Himachal Pradesh unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has strongly opposed the state government’s proposed amendment to Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, warning that any dilution of the law would endanger the interests of farmers, the poor, and the state’s fragile ecology.
State secretary Sanjay Chauhan said the party has demanded that the government withdraw the proposal “in public interest,” failing which the CPM would launch a statewide agitation against the “anti-people move.”
He reminded that Section 118 was introduced under the leadership of Dr. Y.S. Parmar, the state’s first Chief Minister, to safeguard the rights of Himachalis over their jal, jungle, and zameen (water, forest, and land).
The clause ensures that outsiders cannot easily buy land in the hill state without government approval.
Chauhan accused both the Congress and BJP of playing a double game on the issue.
“Whenever in power, they work under the pressure of corporates and capitalists to open Himachal’s land to exploitation. But in opposition, they pretend to stand with the people,” he said.
Citing the fragile state of the environment, Chauhan said reckless construction, hydropower projects, cement plants, and four-lane highways have already put the hills at risk.
“Now, if the Sukhu government further loosens Section 118, big corporates will capture the land, and farmers and small traders will be pushed to the wall,” he warned.
He pointed out that 90 percent of Himachal’s population still lives in villages, with 88 percent being small and marginal farmers—most owning less than five bighas.
“In such conditions, liberalising land laws will only accelerate exploitation and unemployment,” he added.
The CPM has called upon citizens to unite and resist any attempt to “sell off Himachal’s natural resources in the name of development.”
#Section118 #HimachalLandLaw #CPM #SanjayChauhan
