In light of row over nautor land, Minister Negi calls on Governor

Revenue Minister Jagat Sigh Negi paid a courtesy visit on Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla at the Raj Bhawan here today. Though it was being termed as a routine visit, sources said that Negi called on Shukla to mollify him, considering his past utterances over the delay in the grant of nautor land as the approval from the Governor was pending.

Negi and the Governor had been engaged in a verbal duel over the delay in the grant of nautor land to people in his Kinnaur Assembly segment in the absence of approval from the Raj Bhawan.

Negi had on January 2 expressed his displeasure over the delay on the part of Governor to grant nautor land to the people of Kinnaur. He had gone to the extent of saying that in case of further delay, people would be forced to stage a peaceful protest on streets against the Governor.

It has been reliably learnt that about 20,000 applications for the grant of nautor land are pending with the government. The Cabinet had passed a proposal for the grant of nautor land to the people of Kinnaur and sent it to the Governor. It is only after the Governor suspends the Forest Conservation Act under Schedule V of the Constitution that the nautor land can be given to the people of Kinnaur who have very little land.

The Governor was reportedly irked over the Revenue Minister’s outburst against the Raj Bhawan on the issue of the delay in the grant of nautor land to the people of Kinnaur and retorted saying that his duty was to follow norms and not to fulil anybody’s election promises.

Negi had said that he met the Governor on five occasions regarding the completion of the formalities to pave the way for the grant of nautor land but it had still not been approved.

Himachal Tribune