Land pooling policy likely in 3 months
The policy entails pooling of land parcels by individuals or groups of owners.
The state government’s land pooling policy, which is expected to bridge the gap in supply and demand with respect to housing needs in the capital, is likely to be implemented in the next three months. The draft regulations of the policy have been modified further and was discussed with representatives of various stakeholders on Wednesday.
“Several reservations were raised by the stakeholders and it was suggested that simulation models be prepared so that we can look at the ground realities and come up with solutions in case of any roadblocks. We hope to implement the policy in the next three months,” DDA vice-chairman Balvinder Kumar said.
The policy entails pooling of land parcels by individuals or groups of owners. Once pooled, the land will be legally consolidated by transfer of ownership rights to the designated land pooling agency, or the DDA. The DDA will then transfer ownership of part of the land back to landowners for undertaking development.
“Through this policy, the DDA would be able to develop 20,000-24,000 Ha land in urban extensions. As estimated, for each 1,000 Ha of the pooled land, the government would be able to provide a housing stock of 50,000 dwelling units for the economically weaker sections,” Kumar said.
According to the DDA, the success of the policy would lie in repealing certain sections of the Delhi Land Reforms Act, which may lead to issues while partitioning land under joint ownership of family members. “Coordinated efforts between agencies providing services will also be required,” an official said.
“Several issues were discussed during the meeting on Wednesday pertaining to how land will be allocated back to the owners, single-window clearance system for this policy etc.,” Mousumi Roy, senior director at FICCI, said.
The DDA had issued a public notice on January 29, seeking suggestions and objections pertaining to the policy. Based on this, further modifications have been made to the draft regulations.
“The modified regulations will now be tabled in a meeting of the authority for clearance from the Lt-Governor before the policy is rolled out,” an official said.
The modified regulations state that land holdings less than 2 Ha and land holdings not being brought forward for development through land pooling will be acquired through alternate mechanisms such as acquisition or negotiation.
“We are seeking exemption from ‘The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013 for acquisition of small pockets to make this possible,” the official said.
To prevent problems later, only land with clear ownership title will be considered for participation in the land pooling process and proof of the same will have to be furnished.
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