Delhi govt declares 89 villages as urban areas; to make land- pooling easier

In a major development, the Delhi government has declared 89 villages here as urban areas which will help the authorities develop infrastructure projects in those localities.
The Urban Development Department of the Delhi government issued a notification in this regard yesterday, after Lt Governor Anil Baijal approved the Delhi Development Authority's (DDA) Land-Pooling Policy (LPP).
The policy was stuck for around two years.
After the approval of the LPP for the 89 villages, the Delhi government won't need to buy land from the DDA for developing facilities such as electrical sub-stations, stadiums, industrial areas, old-age homes, hostels, schools, etc.
The LPP is aimed at getting individuals or a group of land-owners - living in urban villages on Delhi's periphery - to pool their land and hand it over to the DDA.

The DDA will develop public infrastructure like roads on part of the pooled land and return a substantial portion of the plot to the owner.

The returned portion of the land will have its value increased due to the development of infrastructure nearby.
Sultanpur Dabas, Bazidpur Takran, Mukhmelpur, Neb Sarai, Baprola, Bakkarwala, Goela Khurd, Neelwal, Salahpur Majra are among the villages which have been declared as urban areas by the AAP government.
The policy's implementation assumes significance as the DDA's Master Plan Delhi (MPD) 2021 proposes construction of 25 lakh housing units by 2021 for which 10,000 hectares of land will be required.

As per DDA estimates, 2.5 lakh houses, including 50,000 EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) units, will require 1,000 hectare of land.
Providing relief to small farmers, self-penalty on DDA for delays, and flexibility to farmers to trade their land or tie up with developers for land-pooling are some of the important features of the policy.
Welcoming the move, BJP MLA and Opposition Leader in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta said the "historical" move would accelerate the process of providing affordable housing to 20 lakh families.
"It would fill up Delhi's infrastructural deficit that has led to cropping up of unauthorised colonies. The notification comes due to direct cognisance taken by the Delhi L-G," Gupta said.