Telangana plans land pooling model for roads, projects
HYDERABAD: Land acquisition for roads or infrastructure projects often triggers protests from affected landowners, who fear losing livelihoods, while neighbouring landowners benefit from rising land prices. To address this imbalance, the Telangana government is working on a new Land Pooling Area Development (LPAD) policy aimed at ensuring that those who give up land also gain from subsequent development.
Under the proposed model, landowners would voluntarily pool land for roads and projects and, instead of cash compensation, receive a share of developed plots in the same area. Officials said this would reduce resistance to land acquisition and allow displaced families to become stakeholders in local development rather than victims of it.
The government is studying similar land pooling models implemented in Maharashtra and Gujarat and plans to tailor the policy to local conditions. A draft LPAD framework is being prepared to ensure wider public benefit, officials said.
Lessons from past protests
Large-scale protests marked land acquisition under the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi government, particularly for projects such as Mallanna Sagar, where villages were relocated. More recently, land acquisition for a proposed greenfield road from Hyderabad to the planned Bharat Future City has drawn opposition from farmers. While some landowners accepted compensation after road works began, others approached courts.
Those losing land have expressed anxiety, while landowners in surrounding areas have benefited from higher land values and improved infrastructure. The government now aims to ensure that land losers are treated on par with neighbouring farmers by making them partners in development.
Faster growth through land pooling
Land pooling has helped speed up development in several states. In Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat, many farmers have voluntarily offered land in exchange for developed plots. Andhra Pradesh also adopted land pooling to acquire thousands of acres for its capital city.
In Telangana, guidelines for land pooling were issued in 2017, but the scheme was implemented only within the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority limits and failed to deliver expected results. Officials said the 2017 framework proved cumbersome for both the government and farmers.
To overcome these issues, the government plans to replace it with simpler LPAD guidelines for roads, infrastructure projects and township development. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority has already appointed a consultancy to draft the new rules. The policy is expected to be rolled out first within the HMDA area and later across the state.
More land, developed and redistributed
Under the proposed system, the government would pool more land than required for a project, develop it with infrastructure and redistribute a portion to original landowners. For instance, instead of acquiring 100 feet for a road, land up to 500 feet wide could be pooled. The road would occupy 100 feet, while the remaining land on both sides would be developed with infrastructure.
Affected landowners would receive at least 50% to 60% of the land they give up in the form of developed plots. Officials said this would ensure that the value of the returned land is significantly higher than the original agricultural land, addressing concerns over inadequate compensation.
