In a significant move aimed at accelerating urban development, the Uttar Pradesh government has empowered housing development authorities with new powers to change land use. This delegation of authority is designed to streamline the process of creating large-scale townships across the state.
Streamlining Urban Expansion
The state government has delegated the crucial powers for land use change directly to the board of a development authority. This step is intended to remove bureaucratic hurdles and promote faster urbanisation. The key change is that when a large parcel of land is needed to create a new township, the board governing the housing authority's key affairs will now have the power to alter the status of agricultural land for other purposes.
This means the board can approve the conversion of agricultural land for residential use without needing to seek prior approval from the government, even if the city's master plan currently designates that land for agriculture. This power applies specifically to schemes that will cover an area of 50 acres or more.
Focus on 20 Key Cities
The push for urban development will be concentrated across 20 important cities in Uttar Pradesh under the Chief Minister's township policy. The identified cities for these housing schemes are:
- Gorakhpur
- Aligarh
- Agra
- Bareli
- Jhansi
- Ayodhya
- Meerut
- Varanasi
- Moradabad
- Kanpur
- Saharanpur
- Mathura
- Firozabad
- Lucknow
- Bulandshahr
- Banda
- Ghaziabad
- Hapur
- Baghpat
- Rampur
Benefits for Developers and Regulatory Bodies
The amendment to the rules is expected to provide a major boost not only to government projects but also to private sector participation. Private developers executing approved township projects as per the UP township policy will also be eligible for the same benefits, creating a more investor-friendly environment.
Furthermore, the regulatory authorities implementing various schemes under the Chief Minister Urban Expansion Scheme (Nagar Srijan Yojana) will find the process smoother. These bodies often require additional land banks to execute their plans, and the new powers granted to housing boards will facilitate faster acquisition and conversion of land for planned urban expansion.
This policy shift represents a concerted effort by the Uttar Pradesh government to decentralise decision-making and inject momentum into its urban development agenda. By empowering local housing boards, the state aims to create integrated townships more efficiently to meet the growing demand for housing and infrastructure.
