Chandigarh admn unlikely to roll out land pooling policy
The policy was aimed at bringing the development of city’s villages on par with developed sectors, also mandated by the Chandigarh Master Plan - 2031.
While the UT administration has been mulling a land pooling policy for the past four years, its urban planning department has clarified that the policy is not feasible in the city.
The policy was aimed at bringing the development of city’s villages on par with developed sectors, also mandated by the Chandigarh Master Plan - 2031.
Under it, landowners were to pool their land and the administration was to consolidate it, design the layout and develop the infrastructure. Any land pocket could be developed for new residential, commercial or institutional projects with unified planning and servicing.
During the meeting of the Administrator’s Advisory Council (AAC) on August 18 last year, a member of the committee had stated that a large number of people were living outside the “lal dora”, the line which separates the village habitation from agricultural land.
They have been given electricity connections as per the order of the Supreme Court, but they have not been given water connections till date. Another member had stated that recently the Haryana government had regularised nearly 400 colonies outside the “lal dora”.
To resolve the issue, another member suggested that land pooling scheme can be implemented on the lines of Haryana and Punjab. He further suggested to form a committee to formulate a policy to address the issue.
In the action-taken report, to be taken up in the next meeting of the AAC, scheduled on September 30, the department has cited an order of the Supreme Court, wherein it has emphasised that no haphazard development can be done in Chandigarh.
The department further stated that due to recent decision of the ministry of home affairs (MHA), land pooling policy does not seem feasible because returning freehold rights of developed land to the farm owners will not be feasible.
Further, development in this area can only be done in accordance with the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031 after acquisition of land, stated the department.
In response to a question recently raised by MP Manish Tewari in the Lok Sabha, the MHA had clarified that there is no move to regularise illegal constructions outside “lal dora” in 22 villages of the city.
The ministry had stated that the development outside the red line area was regulated under Chandigarh Master Plan, 2031. As per The Punjab New Capital (Periphery) Control Act, 1952, no person is allowed to erect or re-erect any building in area outside the lal dora without prior permission of the deputy commissioner and any construction outside the area without approval by the competent authority is violation of this Act.
For the development of villages, the UT administration had earlier decided to study models of other states on land pooling policy.
Issue came up in MC meeting
The issue of land pooling was also raised in the House meeting held on Tuesday. Senior deputy mayor Kuljeet Sandhu said in March 2022, the House has approved to formulate a policy, but even after two years nothing has been done. Acting MC commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh said it was a policy matter and will be looked into.