Years after notification, Delhi’s land pooling plan still in limbo

The policy, which was notified twice in 2013 and 2018, provides a road map for the planned development of the city’s urban extensions and meet the growing needs for housing.

Three years after the land pooling policy was notified, with an aim to develop 95 villages in Delhi in a planned manner, it is yet to be implemented, prompting residents to demand that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) address their concerns and set a time frame for its speedy execution.

While hundreds of land owners have registered and agreed to pool over 6,500 hectares, the DDA is yet to operationalise the policy. (HT File Photo)

The policy, which was notified twice in 2013 and 2018, provides a road map for the planned development of the city’s urban extensions and meet the growing needs for housing. Nearly 1.7 million (17 lakh) dwelling units are proposed to come up in these 95 villages, which were urbanised for this policy in 2017.

While hundreds of land owners have registered and agreed to pool over 6,500 hectares, the DDA is yet to operationalise the policy. The land owning agency is in the process of making changes to the policy and the Delhi Development Act, 1957, for its speedy implementation.

Village residents say they want the DDA to execute the policy in a timebound manner, do away with the external development charges (EDC) — this has to be paid by land owners for laying infrastructure and developing the area—and address land ownership issues.

Bhupender Bazad, president of the master plan committee of the Delhi Dehat Vikas Manch, said, “It’s soon going to be decade since the policy was in the planning stages and it’s about time the DDA took concrete steps to execute it. Recently, we had a meeting with the agency, where it was decided that we will take back our land if the policy is not implemented in the next few months. The DDA should set a time frame and adhere by it.”

According to the policy, land owners will have to pay the EDC for infrastructure development, but they are unhappy about this. Landowners say since they are anyway giving 40% of the land for infrastructure services such as parks, roads, social infrastructure, etc., they should not be asked to pay the EDC on top of that.

Dharam Singh, a resident of Jhuljhuli village, said, “We are giving 40% of the land for infra development. Why should we pay external development charges as well? The DDA should do away with that clause, as village people don’t have the money to pay the EDC.”

A senior DDA official said on condition of anonymity, “EDC is for the development of the area and landowners will be getting back developed land with proper services in place. This will only benefit them in the long run. Moreover, landowners can pay the EDC in five stages.”

The consortium (association of land owners) will get 60% of the total pooled land for development, of which 53% will be residential; 5% commercial and 2% for public and semi-public facilities.

The villagers also said they should have control of the gram sabha land — kept aside by owners for essential services of the village — and not the DDA.

Paras Tyagi, who runs the Centre for Youth Culture and Law and Environment, a public policy research organisation working in the rural and urban villages of Delhi, said, “Under the policy, DDA will get control of the gram sabha land, which actually belongs to the village. Residents want that land to be utilised for the welfare of villagers and projects of the village. While new developments will come up in these urban villages, the DDA should also plan for the development of villages that pooled their land.”

Pradeep Dagar, a resident of Dhansa village, said, “Both in land pooling and the green development area policies, the DDA should ensure that the gram sabha land is reserved for the development of the village. The land was given by our families for that reason alone and it essentially belongs to us.”

But DDA officials say that is not possible. “Under the policy, we will be planning an entire sector for a stipulated population, which includes the population of the village as well. We will provide infrastructure for villages, where gram sabha land is available, within the sector. It will be an integrated plan,” said the senior DDA official quoted above.

Another issue that land owners want the DDA to address is of joint ownership. “In most cases, land is jointly held by multiple members of a family. In case any of the joint owners refuses to participate in land pooling, then the others can’t pool their land. DDA has to bring a provision where individual ownership of land is acknowledged,” said Bazad.

Senior DDA officials said the amendments to the land pooling policy will be notified soon. The DDA has also proposed changes in the Delhi Development Act, 1957, for effective implementation of the policy.

DDA officials said changes in the Act were needed for making legal provisions. A second senior DDA official said, “There are issues related to land parcels that have not been pooled in sectors where we have reached the percentage of land required to implement the policy. Currently, there is no provision to get control of these land parcels. If this issue is not addressed, development in land pooling sectors can’t happen.”

Sabyasachi Das, former planning commission in-charge with the DDA, said, “There are several issues in the land pooling policy that have to be addressed. To get 70% contiguous land parcels (a condition in the policy), which is essential for comprehensive planning, there is a need to amend the Delhi Development Act.”