Benefits of land pooling will accrue to all sections of society: Urban Affairs minister

The housing units developed under the Delhi Development Authority's (DDA) land pooling policy will be a "balanced growth" for all as both the well-off people and those who need residential facilities will benefit from it, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday. He said this during an event on DDA's land pooling policy hosted here by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

The area pooled under the policy stands at 6,407 hectares on September 6, and involves five zones -- N, P-II, K-I, L and J - in Najafgarh and Narela, among other areas, officials said. "According to that figures that I have been given, every 1000 hectares will accommodate 3,85,000 persons in 85,000 dwelling units -- 58,000 in general category and 27,000 in EWS (economically weaker section) category. This would result in 17 lakh dwelling units that will include 5 lakh for the EWS category," the Union Housing and Urban Affairs minister said.

"So, it will be balanced, and benefit not just the affluent but also those who need homes, EWS and upwards," he said. DDA vice chairman Tarun Kapoor, during his address, said the sectors in the five zones have been identified, and the urban body is in the process of setting up field offices.

He added that verification of applicants will now be done. Officials said, some sectors have been identified which would be used as a "model sectors" to demonstrate the benefits of the policy.

Delhi Lt Governor and DDA chairman Anil Baijal said termed it a "path-breaking" development model which would bring about a "paradigm shift" in development. Under the policy, agencies will develop infrastructure like roads, schools, hospitals, community centres and stadia on the pooled land and return a portion of the plot to farmers who can later execute housing projects with the help of private builders.

The DDA had launched the online portal in February to ease application and verification processes for stakeholders of the land pooling policy, and the registration is now closed. The policy, notified by DDA in September last year, is aimed at allowing the city to get 17 lakh housing units capable of accommodating 76 lakh people. It covers urbanizable areas of urban extensions at 95 villages in the national capital.

Puri, in his address, invited the private sector and the real estate agencies to become a partner in this "greenfield development" project and added that "innovate financing mechanisms need to be crafted". The minster said around 600 million people will be living in urban areas in India by 2030, but the landmass over the years has remained constant, so providing housing to all is a challenge.

"The benefits of land pooling policy will accrue to all sections of society," he said. DDA said after 70 per cent of contiguous land of a sector is pooled, the urban body will intimate constituent land owners to form a consortium.

Baijal said the areas developed under the policy will be connected to green spaces and water bodies based on smart and sustainable solutions. The Lt Governor said the work on this project will be a high priority as "I am personally monitoring this project".

"This will make a blueprint for new greenfield development and create new residential zones, commercial spaces, recreational spaces and cultural districts," he said. The DDA chairman also cited the example of Magarpatta area in Pune, developed on landpoling policy. A short video on the Magapatta project was also screened on the occasion.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)