DDA works on land pooling policy

Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which proposes to set up three five more sub-cities, is working on a new ‘land pooling’ policy and it has suggested three different models on which the policy can be based.

The suggestion was made by the authority to the union urban ministry at a recent meeting. It may be noted that the authority developed three sub-cities to date – Rohini, Dwarka and Narela – and it plans, as per the Master Plan of Delhi 2021, to develop five more such sub-cities.

But the authority has been struggling to set up the cities owing to shortage of land. Acquiring land is a long and problematic process and hence the authority is working on a land pooling policy.

The idea is to allow farmers or large landowners to pool in their land, which would be then developed by DDA. The land owners would get a substantial portion of the developed land back and can then sell it on their own, he said.

The official said that lack of adequate compensation has been an old grouse of farmers, but the land pooling policy would ensure that they also earn revenue from the land that they part with. This would make land owners a partner in the development.

The proposals that are being considered include pooling of land and development by DDA, the land owners developing the land on their own with help from DDA or involving private developers instead of DDA, to develop an area. It is learnt that the proposals are being studied and a final decision would soon be taken by the ministry.