New Haryana govt land pooling policy to protect the interests of land owners

Gurugram: The Haryana government has released a new land pooling policy to protect the interests of land owners and ensure that adequate land is available for urbanisation and industrial development across the state, officials said on Monday

Gurugram: The Haryana government has released a new land pooling policy to protect the interests of land owners and ensure that adequate land is available for urbanisation and industrial development across the state, officials said on Monday.

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According to officials, the new policy was approved by the state Cabinet on Friday; however, the document is not available in public domain yet.

A government spokesperson said the objective of the policy is “to develop a transparent mechanism for pooling land for the development of a sector, or a part of it, within the confirmed zones of the development plan of the state government”.

Under this policy, the government will give a land owner a land entitlement certificate, which can be traded or mortgaged. The policy will apply to owners offering land for a specific development project. The government also plans to reach out to farmers who are unwilling to part with their land when the rate of acquisition is low or lesser than the market rate.

According to Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) data, the policy can help development agencies procure around 570 acres of land needed to complete the road network proposed under the Gurugram Manesar Urban Development Plan 2031.

The plan is to take land from the farmers, and give back a portion of the developed land to the owners. The farmer’s share will be decided according to land rates in the specific area, a government official said, requesting anonymity.

A senior Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) official said that the share of developed land to be given back to landowners will be based on the market value of the undeveloped land, contributed by them to the total cost of the project. Annual interim financial support will also made available to landowners.

The policy is also applicable to a land aggregator who makes an offer on behalf of multiple land owners for a proposed development project. However, only land which confirms to the land-use as specified by the development plan will come under the ambit of this policy, a government spokesperson said.

“The main objective of this policy is to offer land owners a fair share in the deal through land pooling. Farmers can also accept monetary compensation,” the official added.

The HSVP will look after the development of residential, commercial, institutional and infrastructure projects under this policy--in case the land is situated in an urbanisable area. The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) will take care of the development of industry and industrial infrastructure, government officials said.

Landowners in Manesar, where the government plans to acquire 1,820 acres of land, said that the new policy has provided them with an additional option. A majority of the farmers did not want to part with their remaining ancestral land as most of it had already been acquired by the state government.

Advocate Vinod Chauhan said that land pooling was a better option for farmers who have large holdings as compared to smaller landholders. Chauhan also owns land in Kasan, where the state government plans to acquire a large area.

“A transparent land pooling policy will help farmers. Getting developed land in lieu of their agricultural land will ensure that they have a plot or two. A large area has been acquired by the government in Kasan village to develop IMT Manesar. Once the government takes the remaining land, we will be left with nothing,” he said.

Chauhan also said that the government must also think about the around 150 hamlets locatedover 1,820 acres in Manesar. “They also need compensation for houses built decades ago. There are few private colonies in these areas as well,” he said.