How land pooling solves acquisition woes, Pg9

Key Highlights:

• Rajasthan has launched its first land pooling scheme, aiming to streamline land acquisition for infrastructure and development projects.
• Land pooling is emerging as a viable alternative to traditional land acquisition, which has become complex and financially burdensome, especially after the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
• States like Gujarat and Maharashtra have successfully implemented Town Planning (TP) schemes, a form of land pooling, for decades.
• The Government of India has promoted TP schemes since 2019 due to their participatory, self-sustaining, and equitable nature.

Detailed Insights:

• Traditional land acquisition processes in India are often time-consuming, contested, and financially demanding, hindering urban infrastructure development.
• The 2013 Land Acquisition Act increased financial obligations through rehabilitation and resettlement provisions, making large-scale acquisitions less viable.
• In land pooling, landowners voluntarily contribute land for infrastructure development and receive a portion of the developed, serviced land back.
• TP schemes involve landowners contributing 25-40% of their land for public amenities and receiving 60-75% back as reconstituted, more valuable plots.
• These schemes are financially self-sustaining, recovering costs through incremental charges from landowners, and reduce displacement compared to acquisitions.
• While successful in Gujarat since 1976, Maharashtra faced challenges due to outdated statutory provisions but is now readopting the model in regions like Pune.
• Other states like Guwahati faced issues with unclear provisions, manual land records, and discrepancies between records and ground conditions.
• Guwahati adapted by retaining existing maps, basing allocations on revenue records, and reducing landowner contributions to 12-15% for road infrastructure.
• Rajasthan is modifying land-value calculations and absorbing costs to make its scheme more equitable and attractive to landowners.
• New states venturing into land pooling, such as Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi, need to focus on convincing landholders and contextualizing approaches.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Land Pooling: A mechanism where landowners voluntarily contribute their land for planned development and receive a portion of the developed land back.
• Town Planning (TP) Schemes: A specific land pooling model where land is assembled, infrastructure is provided, and reconstituted plots are returned to landowners.
• Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013: A central legislation governing land acquisition in India, emphasizing fair compensation and rehabilitation for affected persons.