The Pioneer 04.11.2010
Hooda declares steep rise in land acquisition rate
Shiv Rawal | Chandigarh
Faced criticism from certain quarters, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday declared a steep increase in the minimum floor area rate for lands in different parts of the State. The revised minimum floor rate for an acre of land in Gurgaon municipal areas has been pegged at Rs 40 lakh per acre against the old rate of Rs 22 lakh.
Hooda also increased both the annuity amount payable over 33 years as well as their incremental annual hike, and promised to give bigger-size plots in case one's residential property is acquired. The affected farmers would also be offered Government jobs, industrial and commercial plots.
Chief Minister Hooda said that it had been decided to introduce by way of additional benefit, a new concept of no litigation incentive. Working out to about 20 per cent of the minimum floor areas (MFR), it will be payable over and above the MFR to such land owners as undertake not to go in for litigation.
Making its widely acclaimed pro-farmer Land Acquisition Policy more farmer-friendly, the State Government on Wednesday made major changes in its Land Acquisition Policy, especially in the relief and rehabilitation segment.
Haryana Government's Land Acquisition Policy, evolved in 2005 and revised in 2007, had become a talking point at every forum, was commended by the Central Government and followed by some States. Hooda had announced in the State assembly on September 7 this year that the State Government was contemplating on further improving the land acquisition policy.
The new policy would be implemented retrospectively from September 7, 2010. Hooda said that under the second revision of its policy, the State has now been divided into five zonal brackets, instead of three under the old policy, for the purposes of computing the MFR.
For land situated within the notified limits of Gurgaon Municipal Corporation, the new MFR has been fixed at Rs 72 lakh per acre, including Rs 8 lakh as no litigation incentive. A farmer in Gurgaon will now get up to Rs 72 lakh for an acre of his land. For land situated within the notified limits of Faridabad and Panchkula Municipal Corporations.
The areas forming part of the development plans of Gurgaon-Manesar Urban Complex excluding the areas falling within the limits of Municipal Corporation Gurgaon Sohna, and Sonepat-Kundli Urban Complex, the MFR has been fixed at Rs 54 lakh per acre, including Rs 6 lakh as no litigation incentive.
The areas situated within the Development Plans of Bahadurgarh, Rohtak, Rewari, Dharuhera, Bawal, and Panipat towns at Rs 45 lakh per acre, including Rs 5 lakh as no litigation incentive. In the rest of the National Capital Region, areas situated outside the limits of Panchkula Municipal Corporation in Panchkula District, and land situated within the Development Plans of all other district headquarters outside the NCR, the MFR has been fixed at Rs 36 lakh per acre, including Rs 4 lakh as no litigation incentive.
Hooda said that the State Government has implemented a 'no litigation incentive' scheme as per which 20 per cent incentive for the farmers. Explaining the new initiative, Hooda said that it would be given to such landowners as executed an agreement not to resort to any litigation on acquisition and the amount of compensation, and agreed to the amount awarded by the land acquisition collector.
Chief Minister Hooda said that now the landowners would now be paid annuity amount of Rs 21,000 per acre per annum which will be increased at Rs 750 every year for a period of 33 years. The amount paid over 33 years worked out to Rs 10,89,000 per acre, Hooda said. Earlier, the annuity amount was Rs 15,000 per acre per annum with an increase at Rs 500 every year.
Regarding allotment of residential plots against acquisition of built-up residential structures, Chief Minister Hooda said that where any Government department resorted to acquisition of self-occupied residential houses for unavoidable reasons, the owners would be entitled to assured allotment of residential plots. These plots will be carved out in close vicinity of the village residential area.
In case of HUDA and HSIIDC, these plots will be priced 20 per cent lower than the nodal price for general public, and cost-based in other cases. Under the revised R&R Policy, the residential plots in this case will be allotted as per laid down scale. The rates of residential plots reserved for allotment to land would be 20 per cent lower than the nodal price worked out for the general public at the time of first floatation.
