By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The Uttarakhand Congress on Saturday accused the Pushkar Singh Dhami government of “handing over” the state’s valuable land to private companies questioning its decision to lease nearly 7,000 bighas of government land for up to 90 years.
At a press conference organised by the state Congress chargesheet committee, PCC chief Ganesh Godiyal, committee chairman Karan Mahara and Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya alleged that the government was compromising public assets and local interests for the benefit of private investors.
Mahara alleged that the government had created a land bank by identifying around 7,000 bighas of vacant or under-utilised land belonging to various departments including horticulture.
“When ordinary citizens face a 250-square-metre limit on land purchases, why is the government offering thousands of bighas to select corporates for 90 years?” he asked.
He questioned the proposal to lease the land for projects such as five-star hotels, luxury resorts, villas, commercial townships, wellness centres and private schools. The Congress also objected to provisions allowing the leased land to be sub-leased or mortgaged to raise bank loans.
Mahara further alleged that lease rentals were proposed to be linked to agricultural circle rates despite the land being earmarked for commercial use, potentially causing substantial revenue loss to the state exchequer.
He also questioned why the policy had allegedly remained out of the public domain for around one-and-a-half years and whether a 90-year lease could eventually pave the way for conversion of public land into private freehold property.
Arya targeted the government over the George Everest Estate, alleging that facilities developed with crores of rupees in Asian Development Bank-funded investment were subsequently handed over to a private operator.
He said around 142 acres and the developed tourism facilities were given for 15 years at an annual licence fee of about ₹1 crore. The Congress questioned whether the economic value of the public asset and its potential revenue had been properly assessed before the deal.
Arya also raised questions over alleged links between companies participating in the tender and the subsequent emergence of some competing firms as shareholders of the winning company. He further referred to the controversy over collection of charges on the public road leading to George Everest, saying the High Court eventually intervened.
Chargesheet committee member Manoj Rawat alleged irregularities in the allocation of land for a major hospital. He said around 23,137 square metres (5.7 acres) had been identified for the project, but the allocation was cancelled on February 25, 2025, allegedly without taking the health department into confidence.
Rawat also questioned the credentials and financial standing of companies linked to the process.
He alleged that Sikka Developers, despite failing to meet technical eligibility requirements, was allowed to participate in the financial bidding process and was subsequently given provisional allocation of land. In the allegations, the Congress cited a ₹277-crore recovery order against the company by the Noida Authority and alleged that even after 31 flats were sealed, around ₹208 crore remained outstanding.
The party demanded scrutiny of the entire process, alleging that technically ineligible firms were given undue advantage at the expense of other bidders.