Haryana govt prepares draft Land Pooling Policy

The Haryana government has prepared the draft Land Pooling Policy-2017, with a view to make land-owners partners in the development process.
Under this policy, the landowners will get a part of the developed land in the form of residential and commercial plots in lieu of their land contribution, a spokesman of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) said here today.
He said the draft policy was a standalone policy applicable in the controlled areas of Haryana, notified by the competent authority.
"This policy is aimed at procuring or assembling land required for meeting the development plan objectives in an inclusive manner, where the land-owners willingly part with their land, rather than compulsory acquisition, making them partners in the development process," the spokesman said.

Any landowner whose land falls in the area declared for the purpose of land pooling by the chief administrator, HUDA, will be eligible to participate in the land pooling process, provided that he or she holds an undisputed clear title of the piece of land along with encumbrance-free possession in his or her name, he stated.
Panchayat and municipal land will also be taken by HUDA for integrated planning of the sector or scheme, he said.

Giving details of the procedure to participate under the draft policy, he said that land-owners who are willing to participate in the land pooling process would have to exercise their options in writing on the prescribed application form within the time period specified in the declaration or expression of interest got published by HUDA through leading newspapers and as also duly hosted on the official website of HUDA.

The landowners will give all rights of development and sale or mortgage of their land to HUDA at the time of signing of agreement, by transfer of title of their land offered under the scheme in favour of HUDA, he said.
"Once the land is transferred by the land-owners to HUDA, they would not have any right to exit from the project," the spokesman said.
As the proposed policy is a standalone policy and since fair quantum of developed residential and commercial sites will be provided to the land-owners in lieu of their undeveloped land, no benefits of Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy of the state or annuity would be admissible to the landowners opting for the land pooling scheme.