Reimagining land-pooling amid ground realities

Madhya Pradesh's BJP government is revising its land-pooling policy, inspired by Gujarat, to boost industrial investment, benefit farmers, and address concerns over bypassing LARR's safeguards amid land-related conflicts. SANJEEB MUKHERJEE explains the issue

- SANJEEB MUKHERJEE

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh, which marked a year in office earlier this month, is exploring a new model of land pooling to boost industrial investment.

The primary objective of the scheme, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav told Business Standard in an interview last week, is to ensure the process is mutually beneficial for farmers and industry. Taking a leaf out of Gujarat's policies, the state plans to tweak its existing land pooling framework, the chief minister said.

Madhya Pradesh has been working on a land pooling policy since 2019, with supporting legislation already in place.

Several other states, too, have experimented with land pooling, especially after the 2013 Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (LARR). This law established procedures for land acquisition for public purposes.

Since its introduction, land pooling has emerged as a legal innovation to enable sustainable urban development. It has been used for projects such as Amaravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, where the Telugu Desam Party government (2014-19) acquired 33,000 acres from farmers in Guntur district; the Dholera Smart City in Gujarat; and Magarpatta township in Pune city.

What is land pooling?