Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, on Saturday said cricketer Rishabh Pant is welcome to return to the state and assured that officials would discuss his request for assistance in acquiring land.
Dhami was responding to Pant’s public appeal for help as the India wicketkeeper-batter looks to shift his base from Delhi to his native Uttarakhand.
“Anyone who wishes to come here is absolutely welcome. After all, Pant belongs to our state. He has made a big name for himself and for the state. He has also played for the country and brought it glory, so he is welcome. Our officials will discuss everything with him. If he requires anything at all, we will certainly provide it,” Dhami said.
Pant had made the appeal in a late-night post on X, formerly Twitter, at around 12:46 a.m.
In the post, Pant said he had been trying for nearly three years to find a suitable property in Uttarakhand that would allow him to move his base from Delhi. He said he had been unable to find a sufficiently large piece of land that could meet his requirements.
Pant also expressed his affection for Uttarakhand and said he wanted to return to his roots and contribute to the development of the state.
“@pushkardhami hello sir how’s you??? It’s a long time for me especially being local from Uttarakhand. I have been trying to buy land to shift my base from Delhi to Uttarakhand and I couldn’t find anything facilitating and big to live here. I love my Uttarakhand. My humble request to us is please help me in land acquisition cause nowadays it had become nitemare with clarity and even other land is dew which I was supposedly get when I was promoting the state before keeping everything in side I wanna move back to my native place to help and built around. Uttarakhand and I want to shif back to my Pahadi people please look into this matter. It’s been 3 years didn’t get any land awaiting your answer @pushkardhami sir,” wrote Pant in the post.
The cricketer has previously spoken about his strong connection with Uttarakhand, where his family has roots. In his appeal, he said he wanted to move back to his “native place” and work towards helping and building the state.
Dhami’s response indicates that the state government is willing to engage with Pant over his request. The Chief Minister said officials would examine the matter and provide assistance if required.
Rishabh Pant has long maintained a strong connection with Uttarakhand despite spending much of his professional life in Delhi. Born in Roorkee, Pant comes from a Kumaoni family and has repeatedly spoken about his roots in the hill state. His family’s ties to Uttarakhand have remained an important part of his identity, even as his cricket career took him to Delhi and the national stage.
