[Answered] Is the land pooling policy a viable alternative to land acquisition? Examine

Approach

Write about land pooling

Write about issues in land acquisition and how land pooling is a solution to that

Write some issues in land pooling

Land pooling is an approach where a group of landowners voluntarily hand over their land parcels to the government collectively for infrastructure development. Once the development is complete, the land is handed over to the original owners, after deducting some portion as the cost of infrastructure development. The scheme is in force in Delhi at present and utilised in Gujarat under the mechanism of Town Planning Schemes (TPS).

It is a viable alternative to land acquisition policy. Compulsory land acquisition for development activities leads to disputes over displacement, rehabilitation, compensation, etc., Following are the benefits of the land pooling policy:

• The ownership remains with the original titleholder thus reduces the chances of legal disputes.
• Land pooling is less cumbersome compared to Land Acquisition Act of 2013, which includes a Social Impact assessment and calculation of compensation etc. It is a much lengthier process compared to land pooling.
• Land pooling involves equitable sharing of cost and benefits whereas inadequate compensation is a prime concern under Land Acquistion.
• Land polling incurs less cost on state compared to land acquisition, where state requuire to give compensation 2-4 times of the market rate.
• With land being a State subject, States too have taken to State-specific legal reforms that bypass land acquisition act

Issues in land pooling:

• The land pooling policy requires a certain percentage of landowners to give consent for the procedure. Discontent among a certain section of landowners is a common challenge in this activity.
• Chances of improper land use in the absence of strict zoning controls, lack of clarity and examination of certain registration and tax aspects are certain issues under the land pooling policy.
• It is difficult to apply in congested urban areas

Conclusion:

The factors examined above depict that the present land pooling policy is in the interest of nation and society. However, certain amendments in contiguity factor and formation of consortium, better clarity and examination will hopefully plug in the loopholes and will conclusively be a win-win for both the landowner and the exchequer.