The Himachal Pradesh Government on Wednesday introduced an amendment bill to the Land Ceiling Act on the first day of the Winter Session of the state assembly.
Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi tabled the bill in the House.
The proposal seeks to amend the Himachal Pradesh Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1972, to allow charitable, religious and spiritual organizations that impart moral, spiritual and religious education, actively work for the eradication of casteism, alcoholism and drug addiction, and provide health services, to transfer up to 30 acres of land for the same purposes.
The amendment was proposed to facilitate the transfer of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) hospital land at Bhota in Hamirpur to its sister organization - Maharaj Jagat Singh Medical Relief Society.
The RSSB had approached the state government to facilitate the land transfer but faced obstacles due to existing land transfer laws.
Following this, the organisation posted a notice on the hospital's gate on November 25 stating that it would no longer be able to provide services.
The request for the land transfer aimed to obtain GST exemptions for purchasing medical equipment and upgrading the hospital's facilities.
The hospital's closure sparked widespread protests last month, with people, especially women blocking roads in protest. On November 28, the protesters, demanding a written assurance from the state government that the hospital would remain open, blocked the Shimla-Dharamshala road near Hamirpur.
Following the protests chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the state government would introduce an amendment to the Land Ceiling Act in the winter session of the parliament and directed officials to prepare a draft of the amendment bill.
The hospital resumed its service the next day.
Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, the 75-bed Bhota Hospital on the Hamirpur-Shimla highway has been offering free medical care since 2000. It serves lakhs of people from over 900 villages within a 15-km radius.
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