Bihar to develop 11 satellite townships under land-pooling model: Official

For those not opting for land pooling, the government will offer negotiated purchases at market rates in addition to Transfer of Development Rights TDR, aimed at providing over five times the land value, the principal secretary said.

The development of 11 proposed satellite townships in Bihar will be carried out through land-pooling under the Town Planning Scheme (TPS), a senior official said on Monday. The state government on Wednesday approved the development of 11 greenfield satellite townships and imposed a moratorium on land sale, transfer, development and construction activities in these identified zones. Talking to reporters here, Urban Development and Housing Department (UDHD) principal secretary Vinay Kumar said, ''We are not leaving out anyone in the development process. We want to develop the townships through land-pooling under the TPS. The government will return 55 per cent of the developed land to farmers.'' The Town Planning Scheme under the Bihar Urban Planning and Development (BUPD) Act, 2012, is a statutory land-pooling tool used to transform irregular, undeveloped land into planned urban layouts without compulsory land acquisition. He said townships will be well-planned, and include residential, commercial and economic centres, which will catalyse a shift from agriculture-based settlements to secondary and tertiary sectors, creating jobs and increasing per capita income. ''Land value is expected to increase significantly, at least 10 times, and up to 20 times in some areas like Punpun,'' Kumar claimed. For those not opting for land pooling, the government will offer negotiated purchases at market rates in addition to Transfer of Development Rights (TDR), aimed at providing over five times the land value, the principal secretary said. He said the government is holding consultations with World Bank experts to ensure planned development of the townships. Highlighting the specifics of the TPS, Kumar said about 22 per cent of the land will be earmarked for connectivity, 5 per cent for green spaces and public utilities, 3 per cent for economically weaker sections, and 15 per cent for infrastructure, including STP, water plants and electric grids. The principal secretary claimed that moratorium on the sale and purchase of land in selected pockets is aimed at checking unplanned growth and ensuring that farmers get fair value of their land.