DDA reopens land pooling registrations

The registrations will be open till August 25, said a senior official of the Delhi Development Authority.

New Delhi: Months after the Centre proposed amendments in the land pooling policy, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has once again opened registrations for land owners to participate in the policy that is aimed at meeting the Capital’s housing requirement.

The land pooling policy was first notified in 2013 and later in 2018 to meet the increasing demand for housing in the city. (Representative Image)

A senior DDA official said, “The registration will now be open till August 25. The DDA recently issued provisional notice for formation of consortiums in three sectors north Delhi’s Bawana, Tigipur, Fatehpur Jat etc. The land owners have to form the consortiums by August end.”

The land pooling policy was first notified in 2013 and later in 2018 to meet the increasing demand for housing in Delhi. The policy will be implemented in 110 urbanised villages. But the policy is yet to be operationalised due to a clause as per which 70% contiguous land is essential. DDA has been struggle to meet this criterion, as some land owners are not willing to participate in it or have not registered so far

The DDA is also working on amending the Delhi Development Act, 1957, for swift implementation of the policy. According to the proposed amendment, it will be mandatory for land owners to participate in the land pooling policy in sectors wherein minimum threshold for participation has been achieved. Also, the Delhi government’s revenue department will continue to carry out mutation of property (changing title of the property) till the time DDA notifies the layout plan of the land pooling sector.

According to a ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) official, “A Cabinet note is being prepared to propose the amendment in the DD Act. It will be sent for approval soon. But it is unlikely that the amendment will be proposed in the upcoming Parliament session.”

The three sectors, each measuring close to 100-200 hectares, include villages in north and north-west Delhi, including Pooth Kurd, Bawana, Daryapur Kalan, Nangal Thakran, Bazidpur Thakran, Akbarpurmazra, Tigipur, Mohammadpur Ramjanpur, Mukhmalpur, Jindpur, Gadi Khasro, Kadipur, Neelwal and Hiran Kudna. Meanwhile, the DDA is conducting a survey to assess the water demand in these sectors.

“In all the three sectors, we have got 100-200 hectare of land but it is not contiguous. We are hopeful that more people will participate this time,” said an official.