Land - is it possible to buy?

anar

i am british of indian origin - would it be possible for me to buy land in uttranchal? i heard there are restrictions on buying land in himachal and wondered if this was true in uttranchal as well. also, how does one go about purchasing land there - are there estate agents' offices in say, dehradun? anyone with any idea please help.

cooksisters

Hi Anar,
It all depends on what sort of Indian citizenship you currently hold -- If you have the new grey passport that the Indian embassy is handling out at Aldwych (dual citizenship of sorts) or a PIO card then you can buy property but you cant buy or won agricultural land -- as that is illegal.

there are lots of estate agents in Dehradoon-- largely foccusing on the Doon valley.

cheers
CS.

crvlvr

I'd like to know more about these grey passports. I thought the OCI was just a card like the PIO..

cooksisters

Well now once you have your British citizenship -- you automoatically lose the Indian citizenship -- so unless you are happy with a PIO card you ought to apply for the greay passport like thing they are handing out in the name of dual citizenship.. and a poor dual citizenship it is !!! Can't vote, can't own agricultural land and other small hiccups!!

crvlvr

ok.. that explains it..-

Nick-H

I think there is some confusion.

There is only one kind of true Indian citizenship. Indian citizens travelling abroad will hold an Indian passport. India does not allow Dual Citizenship, and anyone becoming a naturalised Indian citizenm is required to renounce citizenship of any other country.

However, with the wish of making its large diaspora feel more connected to their roots, India introduced first, the PIO Card and, more recently, OIC (Overseas Indian Citizenship).

The PIO Card carries benefits such as parity with NRIs on purchase of 'immovable property', and visa-free entry into India. It is valid for 15 years, but can only be used in conjunction with a valid passport.

OIC goes a little further, and is valid for life. 'dual citizenship of sorts' yes; not really dual citizenship at all (as that is not allowed) but a further attempt to make its far flung people feel part of the family.

Neither of these is a 'passport' and the person's passport will be that which goes with their nationality.

For further information see various discussions in the passport and visa section of Indiamike, but most of all, see the High Commission of India, London's website and the various websites of the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration Department . There is a link to a PDF comparing NRI, PIO and OIC status (and other PIO information links as well) on this MHA page

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Nick-H

That's because it isn't really dual citizenship! Or a passport!

And the PIO 'card' is actually just like a small, grey passport booklet --- I don't know what the OIC thingy looks like...

CORRECTION... Having just taken another quick look at at some of the MHA stuff, I think Cooksister's phrase dual citizenship of sorts sums it up better than I thought: they actually do use the phrase dual citizenship and it is dependent on the country of the applicant's current nationality allowing dual citizenship.

And that's after explaining that the Constitution does not allow dual citizenship.

Confusing?

anar

thanks for the replies - however, my question pertains more to whether there are restrictions imposed by the state government of uttranchal on non-residents of uttranchal to purchase residential, non-agricultural/non-commercial land (to build myself a two-room house, for christ's sake - nothing more!). apparently, non-himachalis are forbidden to buy land in himachal and definitely, non-kashmiris are not allowed to do the same in kashmir.

i have bought land in india in the past (five years ago, after consulting with my lawyer and bank manager) and it has not been an issue. if i had sat around waiting for the government to issue me with grey cards and pio cards and what have you, i'd still be waiting to realise my plans - sometimes, you just have to go ahead and do things - the rest follows. especially in india!

Nick-H

...Actually, if your paperwork is clear, they can be very quick, especially in London: if I were you I'd just apply for the OIC anyway. I think you can even do it online! When it comes it comes! ---and no more queueing for visas etc etc.

Interesting side issue discussion on the PIO/OIC anyway.

But sorry we haven't been able to help (so far) on the specific state. Maybe someone will be along.

capt_mahajan

On the particular state: Uttaranchal: Indian residents can only buy 2 nallis (one nalli is about 200 odd square yards) there.
I guess, that if you are eligible, similar rules would apply to you, too.

I know people (husband and wife) who have bought about 750 sq yards together without problems.

Plus, of course, there are hordes of zoning and ecological restrictions, as usual.

The best way to do this is to land up and look around yourself. Property developers ask for crazy rates.

There is a thread here, 'what can I buy for 5 lacs', which will be very useful as a start.

raindrop

Hello!

I just bought a place near Gopeshwar. 2.5 nali as being an outsider not an uttranchali and from now onwards i have rights to buy as much land as i want to buy.So basically once you ahve some land in Uttranchal you can buy more land without any restriction.
This place is still very raw..just 15 minutes drive from a town called Gopeshwar...you get everything there including internet. But seems like whithin 6 months there will be a national highway going to Badrinath near this land.
The person i bought the land (now freind) has this vision of making a small village of travellers or people who love the mountains.I liked the idea alot and already few freinds are going in march to see the land.Its just 50k per nali right now. Cos of no concrete road just dirt road which was good enough for my indica.
There is a river and waterfall there with a nice view of a valley with river plus beautiful view of the snow peaks. Electricity and water pipes are already there and this land can be used for residential purposes.
It is 5-6 hours from Rishikesh and soon 1 hr away airport will be functional.
I liked the place alot as its near chopta and Auli (love sking)
Let me know if anyone needs more details, love to have few more people to expand our village :-)

Nick-H

Raindrop... please avoid posting the same thing more than once

raindrop

Yes sorry buddy!
I did it here and than saw a whole new thread on this topic!
Thought might be a good idea to do it again to spread more info.
Any way, happy New Year.

Nick-H

No problem... In a perfect world we wouldn't have lots of threads about the same thing, but then, in a perfect world IndiaMike would be boring

But we try to keep the site tidy and give new members a nudge or two in the right direction

anar

i would love to own a small house in or around landour - with a view of the mountains! does anyone have any idea about buying property in this state? costs involved? better to buy a ready to move in place or build one from scratch? very keen on gardening. any help/info would be appreciated.