Dehradun, Sep 12 (PTI): Uttarakhand BJP President Mahendra Bhatt on Saturday dismissed Congress's allegation of handing over 7,000 bighas of land to private investors as "completely baseless", and said it is misleading people for electoral gains.

Bhatt said the Uttarakhand Investment and Infrastructure Development Board (UIIDB) currently holds only 18 hectares of land, earmarked for economic activities.

The UIIDB is acquiring land according to established rules, and unutilised land will be managed economically to foster investment and generate employment, he said.

In a statement issued here, the state BJP president said, "Currently, only 18 hectares of land are registered in the name of the UIIDB. Therefore, the claim that 7,000 bighas of state land is being handed over to private companies is entirely incorrect. The Board is ensuring the optimal use of state resources for development and is actively working to attract large-scale investments in sectors such as tourism, education, agriculture, and horticulture." He noted that, following the central government, the state's unutilised land is to be used for economic activities in compliance with regulations.

Bhatt emphasised that state governments should provide the necessary resources for industries and investors.

He pointed out that global giants in sectors like information technology, data centres, semiconductor chip manufacturing, and automobiles are coming to invest in the country; meanwhile, Congress governments in states like Telangana and Karnataka are likely attracting industries for investment as well.

He asked whether these industries bring their own land from outside-the answer would be 'no'-because the respective Congress governments would be providing the resources required for their investments.

Bhatt, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, remarked that the Congress is rattled by repeated electoral defeats, which is why it is unable to digest the development taking place in the state.

He said that the public is experiencing the pace of development and progress in the state and has full faith in the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the policies of the government led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

He said, "The 1.25 crore people of the state have repeatedly expressed this trust, and the scenario will remain the same in 2027." Earlier in the day, the Congress accused the chief minister of acting like a "property dealer", saying that the government has created a land bank of approximately 7,000 bighas of vacant or underutilised government land-including land belonging to the Horticulture Department-with plans to lease it to private investors for up to 90 years.

State Congress President Ganesh Godiyal and the party's 'chargesheet committee' chairman Karan Mahra alleged that under this scheme, attempts are being made to hand over the state's prime land to select corporate companies through the UIIDB. PTI DPT APL APL

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