Land pooling policy:DDA's role limited to facilitator, planner

Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal and Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Puri today decided to simplify the land pooling policy for the national capital by limiting DDA's role to being a facilitator and planner only.
This effectively means 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 pooled.
"The minister and the L-G decided to do away with this requirement and land title continues to be with the original land owners," the Urban Development ministry said in a statement here after the meeting between Baijal and Puri.

"Delhi Development Authority will now act more as a facilitator and planner as against the role initially envisaged for it as a part of simplification of execution of land pooling policy," it said.
Land pooling is expected to catalyse economic, social and civic development of the national capital besides triggering substantial investments and employment generation.

The policy provides for infrastructure development on the pooled land and returning fixed percentage of it to the owners. It is expected to benefit 95 lakh people by incentivising dense development for effective utilisation of land in the national capital, the statement read.
The two, however, expressed concern over the "delay" in implementing the policy that is expected to boost development of 22,000 hectares of land.

The ministry said that the DDA was asked to initiate spatial and services planning for the five zones covered under the policy "so that it could be given immediate effect after finalisation of regulations under the policy."
The DDA was directed to formulate necessary regulations under the policy in accordance with the changes in a month.
"DDA was also asked to ensure single-window clearance mechanism for according necessary approvals for speedy implementation of the policy," the statement said.
Under the policy, 89 villages have been declared as urban areas under the Delhi Municipal Act, 1957 and 95 villages as Development Areas, as required for the implementation of land pooling.