NEW DELHI: The Centre has approved a land pooling policy for Delhi, which will allow the city to get 17 lakh housing units capable of accommodating 76 lakh people.
Last month, the policy was approved by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) under the chairmanship of Lt Governor Anil Baijal.
“Yes, I have signed it (land pooling policy),” Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told reporters when asked about the current status of the policy.
A senior official of the ministry also confirmed that land pooling policy has been approved by the minister.
Under the policy, agencies will develop infrastructure like roads, schools, hospitals, community centres and stadia on part of the pooled land, and return a portion of the plot to farmers who can later execute housing projects with the help of private builders.
Last December, the DDA’s highest decision-making body had approved simplification of the landpooling policy in the national capital and the authority’s role as being a “facilitator, regulator and planner only”.
This effectively means that the transfer of pooled land to the DDA will not be required.
Originally, the land pooled under the policy was to be transferred to the DDA, which would act as the developer entity and undertake further sectoral planning and development of infrastructure on the land.
Land owners having area of any size can participate under the land pooling policy. However, the minimum area to be taken up for development would be two hectares. A Developer Entity (DE)/ individual can participate in the scheme by pooling land parcels covered under a sector as per the Zonal Development Plan, the DDA had said in September.
Source: Press Trust of India