Chandigarh: Now, farmers can sell land to Haryana govt for its land bank

To ensure that farmers don’t go for “distress sale”, Haryana has come up with a policy giving the peasants to approach the government considering it as a potential buyer. The government, in turn, may purchase the land for a land bank that it is creating for its departments, boards and corporations.

The state Cabinet, in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here Thursday, approved the policy.

“Under this Policy, farmers can first submit their proposal to the government considering it as a potential buyer. Along with this, farmers can also advise the state government for selecting a site for the development project at a particular place,” a government spokesperson said.

“It shall be optional for the farmers to apply on the online portal of the Director, Land Records to make an offer of his land by giving complete details including negotiable price of the plot. Further, Revenue Department shall keep it in the said land bank for present or future requirements of all the departments of the government and boards and corporations and shall transfer to them as per relevant rules/standing orders/ policies including price thereof, if any,” the spokesperson added.

Three committees — Land and Rate Scrutiny Committee, Land Bank Committee, and High Powered Land Bank Committee — will be constituted for ensuring the successful implementation of the “Policy for Creating Land Bank for the government departments, including boards and corporations and disposal thereof for development projects”.

“It is observed that landowners at times have to make distress sales of their land especially those living abroad due to slump in the market or due to pandemic, the pressure of the middle man in the market or various plethora of reasons. As a result of above mentioned reasons, the state government has been experiencing a lot of difficulty in making land available to the various departments to cater to day to day needs especially in providing land for essential services such as waterworks, power sub-stations, colleges and other specialized institutions of higher learning including universities, medical colleges and other hospitals and polytechnics etc,” the spokesperson added.

Salient features of the policy

The unutilized land of various government departments and their entities such as boards and corporations shall be clubbed at one place under the Revenue and Disaster Management Department as a Nodal Department.

In the Haryana Evacuee Properties (Management and Disposal) Act, 2008 (Haryana Act No. 7 of 2008) and the Haryana Evacuee Properties (Management and Disposal) Rules, 2011, wherein, there is a provision of sale through negotiation to any department of the State Government and Boards and Corporations, Nazul land (Transfer) Rules, 1956 to retain it within the municipal limit and upto two miles beyond thereof by the Revenue Department for its own schemes/projects and if not needed by it, it can be transferred to other government departments. Hence, a land bank of these two categories of land shall be maintained by the Revenue Department, being Nodal Department also.

In the Punjab Village Common Land (Regulations) Act, 1961 (Punjab Act No.18 of 1961) and the Punjab Village Common Land (Regulations) Rules, 1964, wherein, there is provision of selling land in ‘shamilat deh’ vested in a panchayat for office building of any government department, government owned companies and public sector undertakings, all the departments shall endeavor to explore such lands and Revenue Department shall put up all such lands in the land bank for their optimum utilization.

In the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973 (Haryana Act No. 24 of 1973) and the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994 (Haryana Act No. 16 of 1994), wherein there is provision of transferring the immovable property to the state government, all the departments shall endeavor to explore such lands and Revenue Department shall put up all such lands in the land bank for their optimum utilization.