The Revenue Department has changed the Himachal Pradesh Land Lease Rules, 2013, allowing the Housing and Urban Development Authority (HIMUDA) to take land on lease for up to 80 years. A formal notification says that while the government will not give leases beyond 40 years in general, a special exception has now been made for HIMUDA, allowing lease periods of up to 80 years.
The amendment, called the Himachal Pradesh Lease (Amendment) Rules, 2025, has been issued under powers given by the Himachal Pradesh Village Common Lands Vesting and Utilisation Act, 1974 and the Himachal Pradesh Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1972. The government has also asked the public to send objections and suggestions within a month.
Earlier, in April 2023, the Congress government reduced the maximum lease period from 99 years to 40 years. This rule applied to areas such as hydropower, cement, mining and industrial projects. The cutback was made because government land was shrinking fast and many big projects either left land unused or used it for work not originally approved.
But the same 40-year limit created difficulties for housing projects, especially those handled by HIMUDA, which need longer time for planning, funding and completing work. The new amendment tries to solve this issue by giving a longer and more practical timeline for residential projects.
While the general 40-year limit stays, lease periods can still be extended by 5, 10, 15 or more years depending on specific needs. The new relaxation for HIMUDA is a focused step to support long-term housing requirements without changing the state’s overall goal of protecting government land.
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