Sukhu govt to bring Bill for hospital land transfer

The state government will introduce an amendment Bill to the Land Ceiling Act on the first day of the Winter Session of the Vidhan Sabha to facilitate the transfer of Radha Soami Satsang hospital land at Bhota in Hamirpur to its sister organisation. The Winter Session is scheduled to start from December 18 in Dharamsala.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu today convened a meeting of officials concerned at his residence to discuss the issue of land transfer and directed them to prepare a draft of the Amendment Bill immediately and put it up in the upcoming Cabinet meeting. “While the government was initially considering bringing an Ordinance to provide relief to the organization, the Assembly Session’s proximity makes the introduction of an Amendment Bill more feasible,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the government was making every possible effort to provide relief to Radha Soami Satsang Beas and ensure that the hospital remained operational. “The government intends to keep the hospital functional so that the nearby residents continue to receive quality healthcare services,” he said.

Sukhu further said the matter pertaining to Bhota hospital’s land had been unresolved for nearly a decade. Even during the BJP’s tenure, the matter was discussed in 2019 and the Radha Soami Satsang Beas had sought relief from the then BJP government.

MLAs Suresh Kumar and Kamlesh Thakur, Additional Chief Secretary Onkar Chand Sharma, Advocate General Anoop Ratan and Law Secretary Sharad Kumar Lagwal were present in the meeting.