Noida board meeting to be held on April 9

NOIDA: The Noida authority is scheduled for a board meeting on April 9, during which it might approve a proposal that allows it to acquire agricultural land from owners through ‘land pooling’ policy

NOIDA: The Noida authority is scheduled for a board meeting on April 9, during which it might approve a proposal that allows it to acquire agricultural land from owners through ‘land pooling’ policy.

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Once the proposal is approved, land needed for infrastructural, industrial and other developmental projects will be acquired via this policy.

Officials said this policy will help acquire land in a litigation-free manner with ease, help the authority ready a land bank, and use the ready land for setting up industrial and IT-enabled units. The authority wants to adopt this policy as it has a task at hand to acquire 20,000 hectares of agricultural land in 80 more villages. The policy will make it easier for the authority to ready developmental land as officials said they believe that farmers will be happy with it because it gives them an opportunity to become stakeholders in the projects.

“In land pooling, farmers have a choice to take back some part of developed land for his use or earn rent. As a result, it will be in favour of farmers and make the land acquisition task easier,” said Santosh Kumar Upadhyay, officer on special duty of the Noida authority.

Under this police, land will be acquired at those sites where at least 80% farmers are willing to give up the same. Besides, the authorities can acquire the remaining 20% land by using the 2013 Land Act provisions. At least 25 acres or above sized land should be given priority under this policy and the land should be located at an 18 metres or wider road so that parking and other supporting services can be developed.

Instead of money for their land, the policy allows the authority to provide 25% of developed land out of the total acquired to a farmer. Farmers will have the right to use 80% of the land (out of 25% developed) for industrial usage, 12% for residential and 8% for commercial use. If they so wish, the farmers are free to sell it to anyone, including to the government. Once a farmer applies, the CEO will form a committee that will address the farmers’ application suitably. The authority will give a rent of ₹5000 per month for an acre of land to farmers until the owners do not get the developed land.

“This policy will help in development of new Noida, where 20,000 hectares of land needs to be acquired in 80 new villages towards Bulandshahr,” said Upadhyay.