DDA approves mixed land use, plotted development under land pooling policy

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA), on September 14, 2021, gave its approval to the additional development control (ADC) norms for areas notified under its land pooling policy, 2018. The new ADC rules, which were approved in a DDA meeting, chaired by Delhi lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal, are likely to make property investment more lucrative for real estate developers in the national capital.

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The ADC norms, which were approved by the DDA initially in April 2021 and were subsequently put in public domain for objections and suggestions, have now been forwarded to the central Housing Ministry, for approval.

“For ensuring holistic, smart, sustainable strategy for planning and development of the sectors in land pooling areas, the Authority has given final approval,” the DDA said in an official statement.

What changes for Delhi land owners now?

With the approval of the new ADC norms, the national capital would, for the first, time see use of vertical mixing and transferable development rights (TDR) in real estate developments, a move meant to attract more land owners to participate in the land pooling policy.

While vertical mixing would allow multiple uses, residential and commercial, in a single structure, with maximum floor area ratio of 400 under the new norms, TDR is a way of compensating land owners when they surrender their property titles to authorities. Authorities provide them an additional built-up area that can be used by owners or transferred to others. The TDR concept has been introduced in the Master Plan of Delhi-2041 for heritage properties and land pooling areas.

The policy allows high-intensity mixed-use for major transportation corridors, such as along metro lines, urban extension roads, etc. This means, builders can construct a commercial-cum-residential building on a plot near high-intensity corridors like metro stations and avail of floor area ratio of 400, even though the permissible FAR for residential properties in land pooling areas is 200.

The new ADC norms also allow plotted developments along with group housing projects on land pooled under Delhi’s land pooling policy. For plotted development in areas with land pooling clusters, the minimum area has been kept at 5,000 sq metres on a net residential plot, while the size of plots will range between 100 and 300 sq metres.

Delhi’s land pooling policy

Delhi’s land pooling policy aims to create nearly 17 lakh homes across Delhi’s 95 urbanised villages, falling in Zones J, K-I, L, N and P-II, at a time when population stress on the national capital has made housing affordability quite low here. Notified in 2018, the land pooling policy in Delhi attempts to make landowners equal partners in the development plans and end the tardiness associated with land acquisition. As of December 2020, 6,930 hectares of land had been acquired under Delhi’s land pooling policy. The entire area under the land pooling policy has been divided into 109 sectors. Each sector, with an average size of 250-350 hectares, is expected to house about 80,000 to one lakh people.

Land Pooling Policy: 13 cases lodged against builders for cheating

The Delhi police has lodged 13 cases against some builders, for allegedly cheating people by falsely promising them flats under the DDA’s Land Pooling Policy

January 6, 2020: The Delhi police, on January 3, 2020, lodged 13 cases against builders, promoters and societies, for cheating home buyers by falsely promising them flats under the DDA’s Land Pooling Policy, a senior police officer said. The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) has registered criminal cases against the builders, who have duped many people seeking housing in Delhi, the police said. They said the builders tried to attract home buyers for investment in lucrative housing schemes in Dwarka and other peripheral areas of Delhi.

During investigation, the police found that the builders lured people through websites promising them houses under the DDA’s land pooling scheme but they did not have the authorisation for it. An SIT has been constituted and further investigation of the cases is in progress, the police added.

(With inputs from PTI)

Land Pooling Policy: 5,028 hectares of land registered through online portal till August 2019, says DDA

Over 4,200 applications, for nearly 4,452 hectares of land, have been received by the DDA through its registration portal for its land pooling policy, officials have revealed

September 2, 2019: The area of land pooled under the DDA’s new land pooling policy has increased from 965 hectares on July 1 to 5,028 ha on August 30, the urban body said on August 31, 2019. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had in September 2018, approved the policy that will allow the city to get 17 lakh housing units capable of accommodating 76 lakh people. The policy was notified in October 2018. “With the encouraging response received in expressing participation on DDA portal, the land owners in the 95 villages are coming forward to partner with DDA in assembly of land and developing physical and social infrastructure in Delhi.

“There has been phenomenal rise in the area of land pooled in the last 2 months and it is expected that Sectors in Zone N (near Bawana) and P-II (near Alipur) will soon become eligible for development under the policy,” the DDA said in a statement. The area of land pooled under the DDA’s new land pooling policy has increased from 965 ha on July 1 to 5,028 ha on August 30, it said. “The land pooled in zones P-II, N, L and K-I are 1027 ha, 2654 ha, 1152 ha and 195 ha, respectively,” it said.

An in-house exercise on mapping of land pooled is under process.
Currently, the maximum participation of landowners are in Sector 17, 20 and 21 of zone N and Sector 2 of zone P-II. These sectors are likely to achieve the minimum threshold of 70 per cent land as per the current trends, the statement said.

(With inputs from PTI)

4,452 hectares of land registered through online portal, says DDA

As on August 5, 2019, a total 4,281 number of applications, amounting to nearly 4,452 hectares of land, have been registered under the online portal for the Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA’s) Land Pooling Policy, a senior official has revealed. The DDA had launched the online portal in February 2019, to ease the application and verification processes, for stakeholders of the Land Pooling Policy.

The policy, notified by the DDA in September 2018, is aimed at allowing the city to get 17 lakh housing units, capable of accommodating 76 lakh people. It covers urbanisable areas of urban extensions, at 95 villages in the national capital.

(With inputs from PTI)

DDA to launch online portal for land pooling policy on February 5, 2019

The DDA has announced that it will launch an online portal, for all processes of the land pooling policy, such as receiving of applications to grant of approvals, on February 5, 2019

February 5, 2019: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is all set to launch an online portal, on February 5, 2019, to ease application and verification processes for stakeholders of the land pooling policy, officials said. The portal will be launched in New Delhi by union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Puri, in the presence of Lt governor Anil Baijal, they said, on February 4, 2019.

Using this portal, all processes of receiving applications, verifications, grant of approvals and licences, etc., are expected to be completed in a time-bound manner through a single-window system, according to the DDA. “We have already notified the land pooling policy. We will launch an online portal by the end of January. Interested parties can put their applications on this portal,” DDA vice-chairman Tarun Kapoor had said, earlier.

(With inputs from PTI)

DDA Land Pooling Policy: Online portal for stakeholders to be launched in January 2019

The Delhi Development Authority has announced that it will launch an online portal in January 2019, to facilitate stakeholders of the Land Pooling Policy

January 2, 2019: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will launch an online portal by the end of January 2019, where interested parties can put their applications pertaining to the Land Pooling Policy, the DDA’s vice-chairman, Tarun Kapoor said, on December 31, 2018. The Land Pooling Policy, notified by the DDA in September 2018, is aimed at allowing the city to get 17 lakh housing units, capable of accommodating 76 lakh people. It covers urbanisable areas of urban extensions at 95 villages in the national capital.

Kapoor said the Authority will organise nukkad nataks (street plays) to create awareness among farmers about the policy. Under the Land Pooling Policy, agencies will develop infrastructure like roads, schools, hospitals, community centres and stadia on the pooled land and return a portion of the plot to farmers, who can later execute housing projects with the help of private builders. The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry is also planning to introduce an urban land title act, to prevent land fraud.

Formulated with an aim to provide affordable housing in Delhi, the Land Pooling Policy is also expected to trigger huge economic, social and civic development in the city. It is likely to ‘benefit lakhs of farmers’, while generating immense investment opportunities, the DDA had said, in September 2018.

(With inputs from PTI)

DDA approves land pooling policy, city to get 17 lakh houses

The Delhi Development Authority has approved a land pooling policy that will allow the city to get 17 lakh housing units, capable of accommodating 76 lakh people, officials said

September 10, 2018: The Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA’s) highest decision-making body, on September 7, 2018, approved the land pooling policy during a meeting chaired by Lt Governor Anil Baijal at Raj Niwas.

The policy now awaits the nod of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. It covers urbanisable areas of urban extensions, at 95 villages in the city. Under the land pooling policy, agencies will develop infrastructure like roads, schools, hospitals, community centres and stadia, on part of the pooled land and return a portion of the plot to farmers, who can later execute housing projects with the help of private builders.

Sources said the Authority considered the suggestions and objections offered by the public to the urban body recently.

A floor area ratio (FAR) of 400 had been requested, but the DDA decided for 200 units due to various constraints, they said. “Considering the availability of resources and services, FAR of 200 is recommended for the development in the land pooling policy, keeping in view availability of water, requirement of land for physical and social infrastructure and impact on environment,” the DDA said.

Formulated with the aim to provide affordable housing in Delhi, the policy is also expected to trigger huge economic, social and civic development of the city.

It is likely to ‘benefit lakhs of farmers’, while generating immense investment opportunities, it said.

Under the policy, over five lakh of the 17 lakh houses will be built for the economically weaker sections, the housing authority said.

This will go a long way in meeting the goals of ‘Housing for All’, officials said.

In December 2017, the DDA’s highest decision-making body had approved simplification of the land pooling policy in the national capital and the DDA’s role as being a ‘facilitator, regulator and planner only’. This effectively means that the transfer of pooled land to the DDA will not be required. Originally, the land pooled under the policy was to be transferred to the DDA, which would act as the developer entity and undertake further sectoral planning and development of infrastructure on the land pooled.

Land owners having land of any size can participate under the land pooling policy. However, the minimum area to be taken up for development would be two hectares. A developer entity (DE)/ individual can participate in the scheme, by pooling land parcels covered under a sector as per the Zonal Development Plan, the DDA said. “With 200 FAR, Delhi will get 17 lakh dwelling units to house 76 lakh persons. In order to promote affordable and inclusive housing, 15 per cent FAR, over and above the permissible FAR, has also been allowed for EWS/affordable housing,” it said.

Differential land return in two categories has been replaced with uniform division of land on 60:40 basis in the modified policy, thereby, benefitting small land holders or farmers.

Among other decisions approved by the DDA, was relaxation in payment conditions for occupants of ‘Valmiki’ category of Chulha Tax payers of five villages – Nagli Razapur, Todapur, Dashghara, Jhilmil Tahipur and Arakpur Bagh Mochi. These category persons were displaced from their villages for the establishment of the new capital in Delhi by the British Indian government and were allowed to settle in the aforesaid villages, in lieu of payment of Chulha Tax at the rate of one anna per month per family. Occupants of the Valmiki category have to pay Rs 575 per sq metre as decided for unauthorised colonies in the year 2008, plus prescribed interest rate of DDA up to November 30, 2014. “The basic rate of Rs 575 per sq metre may be charged without payment of any interest, till date for grant of freehold rights,” the DDA decided.

A decision was also made on ways for disposal of 7,876 flats, surrendered by registrants of housing schemes 2014 and 2017. Proposals were made on setting up of micro-breweries in Delhi and permissible activities as per the FAR in hotels and were approved. Simplification and rationalisation of various interest rates applicable in DDA, for allotment of flats, built-up shops and plots, were also approved by the Authority.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Sunita Mishra

An alumna of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal, Sunita Mishra brings over 16 years of expertise to the fields of legal matters, financial insights, and property market trends. Recognised for her ability to elucidate complex topics, her articles serve as a go-to resource for home buyers navigating intricate subjects. Through her extensive career, she has been associated with esteemed organisations like the Financial Express, Hindustan Times, Network18, All India Radio, and Business Standard.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Sunita holds an MA degree in Sanskrit, with a specialisation in Indian Philosophy, from Delhi University. Outside of her work schedule, she likes to unwind by practising Yoga, and pursues her passion for travel.
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