Land Pooling and Reconstitution Plans to be implemented
What is Land Pooling?
Land pooling is one of the techniques of land development which was initiated and made popular in Japan by Japanese farmers. The main feature of land pooling is the reconstitution of plot boundaries and extraction of common areas through land re-arrangement. Using this technique land parcels of an area are pooled into a single plot for a temporary period, plots are re-shaped and readjusted to have access; infrastructure and services are provided and then returned back to the original land owner so that the whole area is converted into developed residential plots with basic infrastructures.
HYDERABAD: In order to achieve a systematic and planned development in the peripheral localities, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) would soon be implementing land pooling scheme (LPS) in its jurisdiction. Either the local civic body/authority or a licensed private developer can undertake Land pooling scheme provided that the conditions are fulfilled according to the HMDA’s master plan.
The department of Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) has cleared the draft LPS. The draft is scheduled to be placed before the executive committee of HMDA for its approval on 21st of June.
As per the HMDA sources, the Hyderabad metropolitan area would be the first to implement the LPS as the required provisions for the same are present in the HMDA Act, 2008. LPS would be extended to other parts of the state later, as there aren’t any LPS provisions within the AP Urban Areas (Development) Act, 1975.
A committee was constituted by the department of MA&UD to prepare detailed guidelines for land pooling projects. The guidelines prepared by the committee have been submitted to the state government.
Accordant to this scheme, farmers or individual owners could come together to develop land to the extent of 25 hectares (100 acres) or more with the clearance of HMDA and provide basic amenities like drinking water, roads and street lighting.
Both the authority and the land owners would be mutually benefited through this scheme. The land owners would receive clear title for developed lands albeit with some reduction in land without any litigation along with an appreciation in the value of their property’s land. On the other hand, land for roads and other facilities need not be acquired by the local body or authority.
The LPS has broadly been divided into two types by the HMDA. The first is Road Development LP area, which would be taken up for notified master plan and road network for already identified potential areas. Town Ship Development LP area is the other category. In this type, 100 acres needs to be the minimum size of layout.
In the case of LPS, at least 66 per cent or two-third of the property owners should be willing to take up land pooling schemes. By invoking the urgency clause under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894; the authority can acquire the land of the owners who do not step forward. Compensation for the land owners, who do not will to be part of LPS, would be as per the Act. As per rules, the open spaces for public purpose has to be handed over to the authority by the developer.
Initially, incentives like building rules relaxations for developers who come forward for taking up LPS were proposed by the committee. However, it was later decided to stick to the provision of the master plan and existing building rules alone.
