The policy, earlier approved by the state cabinet led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in July, was notified on August 22. (Representational image)Haryana has come out with a land-pooling policy-2022, as part of its measures to make the land banks available for the purpose of major urbanisation and industrialisation. The state says that as per the land-pooling policy-2022, “the land owners shall be partners in the development process and the policy aims at offering maximum benefit to them [land owners] by linking the allotment of land with the cost of raw land”.
“The policy prescribes a timeline to be followed at various stages so the interests of land owners are protected and the objective of land development is achieved. The policy aims to achieve planned development through voluntary participation of landowners interested to become partners in development process in adherence to provisions of Haryana Scheduled Roads and Controlled Areas Restriction of Unregulated Development Act, 1963”, a spokesperson said.
While the government is terming it a landmark and attractive policy in the interest of farmers and land owners, the Opposition is not impressed. Hitting at the BJP-JJP coalition government of Haryana, leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, “This policy means nothing when people of the state are demanding the land acquisition policy that was introduced during our tenure. We had a fixed 33 per cent annuity, the floor-area rates were marked area-wise; for instance, it was different in Gurgaon than Karnal or for that matter any other district.
The compensation given to the farmer or the land owner was far more transparent”.
The policy, earlier approved by the state cabinet led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in July, was notified on August 22.
The objective of the policy is “to achieve the purpose of planned development including development of infrastructure and for the purpose obtain land through voluntary participation of land owners, interested to become partners in the said development” the notification reads.
The registered property dealers/ real estate agents have been designated as “aggregators” under the policy and the “development organisation” has been described as “state government in any department or any board, corporation, statutory authority or any other organisation owned and controlled by the state government intending to obtain land for a development purpose”.