HP ex-governor’s tenure unjust for tribal people: Negi

Chief spokesperson for the Himachal Pradesh BJP and MLA from Sundar Nagar, Rakesh Jamwal lashed out at Negi, stating that he ought to be mindful of his own age and dignity, and instead focus on his departmental duties. The remarks made by Negi regarding Shukla, are highly unbecoming and devoid of propriety.

Two days after the farewell of Himachal Pradesh governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi on Wednesday in a scathing attack termed Shukla’s tenure as “unjust or inequitable” for the tribal regions in wake of the pending nautor land cases.

Two days after the farewell of Himachal Pradesh governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi on Wednesday in a scathing attack termed Shukla’s tenure as “unjust or inequitable” for the tribal regions in wake of the pending nautor land cases.

“The tenure of the former governor was unjust for the tribal people of Himachal. We met him eight times regarding the nautor issue, but the matter remained pending for nearly three years. Tribal people living in border areas suffered due to the delay in granting approval for nautor land,” said Negi while voicing his displeasure on the former governor’s failure to clear proposals related to nautor land allotment in tribal areas.

The issue of suspension of the Forest Conservation Act in tribal areas of the state paving way for the tribal people to get nautor land remained a tipping point between the Himachal governor and Negi. Nautor is waste land owned by the central government outside towns, reserved and demarcated as protected forests and given for use with the sanction of a competent authority. The Nautor rule was passed in Himachal Pradesh in 1968. As per the rule, there was provision for providing land to those who had less than 20 bighas and the government used to provide up to 20 bighas of land on minimum tax. This rule had benefited thousands of landless people in the state. In 1980, the Forest Conservation Act was implemented and the Nautor rule ended. But it continued in tribal areas for a long period of time. Later, the Supreme Court directed strict implementation of the Forest Conservation Act across the country and it stopped all Nautor land allotment in tribal areas as well. So now to allocate land suspension on FCA is needed. More than 12,000 cases are pending.

Negi pointed out that, under Schedule V of the Constitution, the Governor serves as the guardian of tribal communities. “The Constitution vests the Governor with powers far exceeding those held by even the Parliament or the Legislative Assembly. The Governor possesses the authority to temporarily suspend the Forest Conservation Act and allocate land,” he said.

Negi recalled that in 2014, the previous Himachal government had submitted a proposal to the then Governor—under the provisions of Schedule V—seeking to allocate land to tribal communities. The then-Governor temporarily suspended the Forest Conservation Act, thereby enabling landless residents to receive land allotments.

Referring to the former Governor’s claim that the government failed to provide the requisite information regarding the ‘Nautor’ (land allotment) cases, Negi said, “The Governor’s statement regarding the Nautor cases is misleading to the public. If the officials indeed failed to provide the information, why was no disciplinary action taken against them? Why were they not suspended?”

“If the Governor felt he was not being given proper information (on Nautor), he had the authority to seek action. Instead, such remarks only mislead people,” said Negi.

He stated that between 2014 and 2016, strict conditions made it difficult for tribal residents to obtain Nautor land. Later, from 2016 to 2018, the provisions were relaxed through amendments and the Act was suspended for two years, enabling land allotments to eligible beneficiaries.

Negi said during that period he personally facilitated 528 Nautor land allotments to tribal families in his Assembly constituency, while over 6,000 cases were identified across tribal areas.

He alleged that after the BJP government came to power in 2018, not a single Nautor case was sanctioned despite repeated demands raised by the Congress. According to him, although the provision was extended again in 2020, approvals still did not materialise.

Criticising the former Governor’s remarks on the state’s “work culture,” Negi said, “Such comments were irresponsible coming from a person holding a constitutional post”.

Negi stated that he intends to meet with the new Governor Kavinder Gupta, who took charge on Tuesday, regarding the ‘Nautor’ land allotment issue concerning tribal communities and present his case.

Minister’s comments highly unbecoming: Jamwal

In a statement issued from Shimla, chief spokesperson for the Himachal Pradesh BJP and MLA from Sundar Nagar, Rakesh Jamwal lashed out at Negi, stating that he ought to be mindful of his own age and dignity, and instead focus on his departmental duties. The remarks made by Negi regarding Shukla, are highly unbecoming and devoid of propriety.

Negi questions BJP silence on RDG

Negi questioned former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur’s silence on the issue of Revenue Deficit Grant for the state.

He also rejected allegations that the current government was being run by a “Mitr mandal rather than Mantri mandal”. Negi said, “Will he attribute everything to a ‘coterie of friends’? It is no secret to anyone what kind of ‘coterie’ existed during his tenure. In fact, his circle of close associates was far more extensive and exclusive.”