The Centre and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) are at loggerheads regarding the ambitious land Pooling Policy for the national Capital. While the operationalisation of the policy still awaits notification from the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), sources said the delay is because the Centre has asked the authority to consider an increase in the floor area ratio (FAR) for group housing societies from 400 to 700. The DDA, on the other hand, plans to turn down the proposal as, according to the authority, the move would only mean an alarming increase in the population density.
As per the “Development Control Norms” of the land pooling policy, group housing societies would be entitled to a FAR of 400 on the net residential land (minus public spaces like parks, shopping complex and so on). It is to amend this aspect of the policy, that the Urban Development Ministry has asked the DDA to consider increasing the FAR by an additional 300. Besides, the Centre has also asked the housing agency to study the Gujarat Model in this regard so that the plan can be amended.
The DDA, however, does not see the change feasible and hence, has planned to explain the entire plan again to the UD Ministry. Top DDA officials are likely to meet M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Urban Development Minister, later this week to give a detailed presentation on the same. “The 400 FAR under the policy is already double of what has been permissible till date. It would allow highrise buildings of up to 22 floors. Increasing the FAR to 700 would mean buildings would have 35-40 floors. As the area of the land on which these would be built remains unchanged, it would only mean that the land parcel will become densely populous making way for a number of other problems, especially safety,” explained a DDA official.
In addition, the policy also states that the housing societies can be built on 45 per cent to 55 per cent of the gross residential area (total area covering parks, schools, community centres, shopping complex and so on). A notification from the MoUD on the land pooling policy was expected by January-end, but it got stuck due to the Delhi Assembly polls. It’s almost a month since the elections are over, but the same has not been issued yet. “The land pooling policy will be implemented from two to three weeks from now. We are awaiting notification from the Ministry,” said Balvinder Kumar, vice chairman, DDA.
With the ever-growing need of affordable housing in Delhi, the lPP in the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2021 will result in development of about 24,000 hectares of land for accommodating additional 48 lakh population in the national Capital by the year 2021. The policy was approved by the Union Government on September 5, 2013 and will be applicable in the areas of South-West and North-West of the Delhi Government wherein the DDA will act as a facilitator for land development along with private companies under the PPP model.