The delay from the Delhi Government to convert 95 villages into urban/development area under the land pooling policy has created bottlenecks in providing accommodation to over 40 lakh people. Out of 95 villages, 89 villages have been declared urban by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The Government has to pay Rs 3 crore for one acre while the Delhi Government wants to use land free of cost for Public services.
Every year, lakhs of people migrate to Delhi and thus put pressure on the city and its peripheral areas seeking accommodation. The DDA passed a project to convert Delhi villages into urban areas under land pooling policy in its effort to provide housing for all.
The DDA had issued a notification about a month ago that more delay in taking up the policy will increase the number of kiosk’s population in these areas. The areas that come under land pooling policy for urbanisation are Bawana, Chattarpur, Najafgarh and Burari mainly in the outer Delhi.
Clarifying the delay in the matter, Ashwini Kumar, Secretary Revenue, Divisional Commissioner, Delhi Government said, “The area of 89 villages also covers gram sabha alignment that the Delhi Government wants to use for public services such as schools, hospitals, transport and other facilities. The matter has been forwarded to the department of land and Building for further action.”
“If the land goes under the Central Government, the cost of land will be three crore per acre, however, the Delhi Government wants to utilise the land for public service without paying any cost,” Kumar added.
According to the DDA higher officials, delaying the project will further create a problem for villagers and the Government. “At initial stage, it will become difficult for the State Government to convince the villagers to surrender land for the urbanisation,” said the DDA official. “Problem can be occurred when villagers and other residents will ask for the compensation,” official added further.
It is assumed that this is the right time for the State Government to communicate with villagers and locals of these areas. As per the land pooling policy in the DDA, the policy will allow the owners to pool their land instead of compensation. Forty to sixty per cent of land after the development will go back to the owners which they can keep themselves or give further to developers for infrastructure. Under the land pooling policy, about twenty thousand hectares will be developed.
Meanwhile, the DDA has announced two types of land pooling in which if land owner surrenders his land from 2 hectares to 20 hectares, about 48 per cent of land would be returned to the land owner. And if owner surrenders more than 20 hectares of land, then 60 per cent of land would be returned to the land owner.