Development work under land pooling to be kick-started soon in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Development work in the three model sectors under Delhi Development Authority’s land-pooling policy might begin soon with plans to issue a conditional notice to landowners to form consortiums. Sources said DDA is awaiting the Union housing and urban affairs ministry’s consent to initiate the formation of consortiums to develop the pooled land.

Earlier this month, the central government had proposed amendments to the Delhi Development Act, 1957, to make it obligatory for landowners to pool their properties once the owners of at least 70% of the developable area in an identified land-pooling sector had registered their holdings for pooling.

According to sources, in 16 sectors, at least 70% of the land had been accordingly pooled in this manner. Sector 10 in Zone N on the periphery of Rohini sub-city, and sectors 2 and 3 of Zone PII near Alipur in north Delhi would be the first to be developed under the policy. These 16 sectors are in north and northwest Delhi, in areas like Nangal Thakran, Bawana, Mukhmelpur, Hiran Kudna, Pooth Kurd and Daryapur Kalan. Till date, 7,275.4 hectares of land has been registered under the policy by 6,922 applicants.

“Although the total land that has been registered is enough to create an entire sub-city, the plots are scattered and do not form a contiguous area. This was affecting the development of sectors,” a DDA official said. He said DDA would start issuing conditional notices to landowners where up to 70% land has been pooled.

“We have asked the ministry for its consent and once that is received, we will start issuing the notices. The work will start so that when the amendment process is completed, the planning of sectors would already be at an active stage,” the official said.

Mandatory pooling is expected to ensure a time-bound and planned development of land. When DDA issues notices to landowners, they would be able to form a registered consortium of landowners and developers for unified planning, servicing and development. “Creating model sectors will give momentum to development under the land-pooling policy. There are landowners who are sitting on the fence right now but they can finally participate in land pooling,” the official said.