Idle Huda land to be used for parking

GURUGRAM: Huda will come up with a new land management policy in an attempt to tackle twin problems of encroachments and lack of parking . The development agency, which has land worth Rs 10,000 crore in the city, is struggling to safeguard its properties from encroachers. Under the new scheme, the authority will lease out the land for a year to local people or an agency to utilise it as parking space. “We are preparing a land management policy to protect our land from encroachers. This should also generate revenue for the department,” said Huda administrator Yashpal Yadav.
A Huda official said it came to the notice of the department that most of its land was encroached upon and this trend is on the rise after the new Land Acquisition Act was rolled out. Huda has to invest a lot of money and manpower to remove these encroachments. Since the anti-encroachment drive depends on the availability of police force, it has become tough to protect land from encroachers. “Even the plots which have been made encroachment-free are again occupied by squatters. So, there is need to secure the land after the removal of encroachments. The new plan will make it difficult for encroachers to occupy the land again,” said the official.

The governments usually secure their land by erecting permanent boundary wall or barbed wire fencing. However, both these plans are expensive and need funds because large chunks of land are spread across thousands of acres. Huda, which is reeling under financial crisis, is unable to spend on boundary wall and fencing. Huda administrator recently held a meeting with officials to find out ways to protect its land. After detailed discussions, it was decided that either the land may be auctioned online and sold off. Besides this, after removal of encroachment, the piece of land may be handed over to some resourceful agency or person of that area so that it can be secured by erecting barbed wire fencing. The expenses will be borne by the agency or person and the land can be used for parking purpose for one year on the rates recommended.

After completion of one year the land will either be e-auctioned or disposed of. Otherwise, the lease will be renewed for parking till land gets sold.