Mayor Babla, councillors push for land pooling policy in Chandigarh

Land pooling is a strategy where landowners voluntarily contribute their land parcels, especially agricultural land, for planned urban development

Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla, along with a few municipal councillors, met Punjab governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria at Punjab Raj Bhawan on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum seeking a land pooling policy to “safeguard the interests of the landowner”.

Mayor Babla said the administrator gave serious consideration to the proposal, and ensured a meeting to discuss inclusive development and responsible urban expansion in the city (HT File)

Land pooling is a strategy where landowners voluntarily contribute their land parcels, especially agricultural land, for planned urban development. In return, they receive a portion of the developed land, often with significantly increased value due to infrastructure enhancements. This is different from conventional land acquisition, where land is purchased outright, often yielding limited benefit for the original owners.

The mayor, along with councillors Satinder Singh Sidhu, Bimla Dubey and Gurcharanjit Singh, said that a land pooling policy will safeguard the rights of landowners while facilitating planned urban growth in areas such as Sarangpur, Dhanas, Manimajra, Dadumajra, Maloya, and peripheral villages, which were added to the MC limits later.

In the memorandum, the councillors pushed for the drafting of a Chandigarh-specific land pooling policy on the lines of the Haryana and Delhi policies, public consultations with landowners, panchayats, and farmer groups, provisions for rehabilitation and transparent redistribution of plots, and a time-bound implementation roadmap.

Mayor Babla said the administrator gave serious consideration to the proposal, and ensured a meeting to discuss inclusive development and responsible urban expansion in the city.