The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) is all set to adopt the Gujarat Model of land pooling for the city’s development. Under the scheme in force in Gujarat, the GDA will acquire land in still- to-be developed areas from farmers and develop the same. Once developed the GDA will return 50% of the land to the owners and keep the remaining 50%.
The money raised from this will remaining developed land will be used for local area development. Local area development entails strengthening the existing infrastructure of a place where fresh development is not possible.
An official from GDA’s town planning department said, “Like Delhi’s Chandni Chowk and Hazratganj in Lucknow which have been given a facelift , Ghazibad too has places like Ghanta Ghar and Ramte Ram Road where fresh development work cannot be carried out because of space constraints .With proper planning these areas could be given a facelift from the revenue generataed from land pooling.
Critcs are not sure whether the Gujarat Model could prove to be effective in states like UP where getting consent from farmers for land pooling is an uphill task. “Its not that UP doesn’t have land pooling policy of its own. In 2020 the state government revised its land policy to woo farmers to give in their land but very limited success said Sanjay Mishra of Ghaziabad MMH College.
In October 2020 the State Government made amendments to its land pooling policy to woo farmers to part away their land to development authorities. Earlier the consent of 80% farmers was required but it was brought down to 60%
As per the revised policy 25% of the developed land will be given back to farmers and they would also be given Rs 5,000 per acre compensation for a period of five years.
