Land pooling: Authority nod for DDA role as facilitator,

The highest decision-making body of the DDA today approved simplification of the land pooling policy in the national capital and the urban body's role as being a facilitator and planner only.
The Delhi Development Authority decided this in its Authority Meeting held under the chairmanship of Lt Governor Anil Baijal at the Raj Niwas here.
Incidentally, Baijal and Union Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri had taken a decision to this effect in October.
This effectively means the transfer of pooled land to the DDA will not be required.
Originally, the land pooled under the policy was to be transferred to the DDA, which would act as the developer entity and undertake further sectoral planning and development of infrastructure on the land pooled.

"The DDA will now act as a facilitator, regulator and planner. The revision of Zonal Development Plans will be undertaken for effective implementation of the policy and delineation of sector boundaries.

"Minimum 70 per cent contiguous land pooled within a sector will be eligible for processing under the policy. Differential land return has been replaced with uniform division of land to respective land owners on 60:40 basis," the DDA said in a statement.
It said the developer entity or consortium will retain 60 per cent of pooled land, and hold the remaining 40 per cent on behalf of the DDA, to be surrendered (free of encumbrances) as and when required to DDA or service providing agencies for development.

This policy covers the urbanisable areas of urban extensions wherein 95 villages have already been included in the Development Area of the DDA.
"In order to promote affordable and inclusive housing, 15 per cent over and above permissible FAR (floor area ratio) has also been allowed for EWS or affordable housing.
"Land Pooling Policy will be a key input in economic, social and civic development of the city and is likely to generate immense investment opportunities and trigger a boost in the economy," it said.
A draft policy on enabling planned development of privately-owned lands was also proposed as an instrument for the DDA to integrate land parcels, neither covered under Land Pooling nor acquired by the DDA (for planning and development process) for overall development of Delhi, through spatial planning and facilitation of basic infrastructure and services, it said.