Himachal relaxes norms for buying industrial plots

To attract industrial investment in Himachal Pradesh, the state government Thursday relaxed land rules which will enable prospective investors to buy plots offered by the state industrial department without following a lengthy procedure.

The cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, decided that in case industrial plots were allotted by the industries department, the permission under the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act of 1972 might be deemed to have been granted.

But this permission would be subject to a few provisions, a government spokesperson told IANS.

Section 118 of the act prohibits the outsiders and even non-agriculturist Himachalis from buying land in the state.

The spokesman said that like the property offered by the state housing board, the plots of the industry department would require minimal permissions from the government.