Samprati Motghare
IIM graduate, Batch of 2014
There is a notion prevailing amongst Corporates that it is a Herculean task to get land in West Bengal for setting up new industries or to expand the existing setup. The West Bengal government, at the outset, had made it extremely clear that it would not allow any forcible acquisition of land which would hurt the farmers. Simultaneously, it has developed a robust Land bank, supported by a visionary land policy, which has shown its impact in just 34 months.
A uniform Land Policy
To reduce discretion and increase transparency in dealing with the public assets, long term lease for 99 years with an option of renewal has been granted and it has been made mandatory to offer land for commercial use only to the highest bidder through the auction route. Especially for industrial development projects, only being the highest bidder won’t be the sole criteria but the final decision would rest upon pre-specified criteria based on acquisition costs, development charges and premium etc. It is an exhaustive policy which explains the process involved in land allotment for various sectors like education and medical facilities, and power. To encourage developers to work for the bottom of the pyramid, auction route has not been specified for construction of housing for poor, EWS and LIG.
Land for Industries
Land Bank: The state government can now offer about 1.06 lakh acres of land for setting up industries. The Land and Land Reforms department, which worked for two and a half years to create the land bank, has 76,000 acres while other departments account for 30,000 acres of land. This land was till now lying idle with various departments of the government.
Land allotted by WBIDC: Already 39 plots amounting to 1,829.68 acres have been allotted by West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation for various projects. This is poised to bring an investment of Rs 17,774.8 crore and provide employment to about 47,650 people. WBIDC has about 3,263 acres of land ready to be used for industrial development.
Land allocated under Section 14Y: About 7,170 acres of land has been recommended by the state government under Section 14Y which allows entrepreneurs to hold more than 24 acres of land after the amendment came into effect in 2012.
All these efforts have resulted in bringing many big industries in the state such as BAPL, Matrix fertilizers and Chemical LTD., South Asia Rubber and Polymers Ltd., Bengal Shipyard, Ultratech Cement Ltd., ACC Ltd etc. A total of 23 industrial parks are being set up in the state which will cater to diverse sectors like food, gems and jewellery, rubber, foundry, chemical etc.
Land for the landless
Increased rate of land reforms: While only 5,670 and 37,723 pattas were distributed to landless families during 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively, during the tenure of the present government 1,06,264 pattas have been handed over to landless families.
Use of technology: The e-governance initiatives to provide maps of landed property and particulars relating to title, not only help in earmarking suitable land for industries but also help common man to get land records within few hours at over the counter (OTC) e-governance service.
Increased Land Revenue: Implementation of information technology has led to increase in land revenue collection which rose to Rs 480 crore in 2012-13 as compared to Rs 380 crore in 2011-12. This year the number is poised to breach the Rs 500 crore mark.
The state government has balanced the needs of both, the farmers and the industry, and for that, it could be a role model for the country in implementing land reforms.
IIM graduate, Batch of 2014
There is a notion prevailing amongst Corporates that it is a Herculean task to get land in West Bengal for setting up new industries or to expand the existing setup. The West Bengal government, at the outset, had made it extremely clear that it would not allow any forcible acquisition of land which would hurt the farmers. Simultaneously, it has developed a robust Land bank, supported by a visionary land policy, which has shown its impact in just 34 months.
A uniform Land Policy
To reduce discretion and increase transparency in dealing with the public assets, long term lease for 99 years with an option of renewal has been granted and it has been made mandatory to offer land for commercial use only to the highest bidder through the auction route. Especially for industrial development projects, only being the highest bidder won’t be the sole criteria but the final decision would rest upon pre-specified criteria based on acquisition costs, development charges and premium etc. It is an exhaustive policy which explains the process involved in land allotment for various sectors like education and medical facilities, and power. To encourage developers to work for the bottom of the pyramid, auction route has not been specified for construction of housing for poor, EWS and LIG.
Land for Industries
Land Bank: The state government can now offer about 1.06 lakh acres of land for setting up industries. The Land and Land Reforms department, which worked for two and a half years to create the land bank, has 76,000 acres while other departments account for 30,000 acres of land. This land was till now lying idle with various departments of the government.
Land allotted by WBIDC: Already 39 plots amounting to 1,829.68 acres have been allotted by West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation for various projects. This is poised to bring an investment of Rs 17,774.8 crore and provide employment to about 47,650 people. WBIDC has about 3,263 acres of land ready to be used for industrial development.
Land allocated under Section 14Y: About 7,170 acres of land has been recommended by the state government under Section 14Y which allows entrepreneurs to hold more than 24 acres of land after the amendment came into effect in 2012.
All these efforts have resulted in bringing many big industries in the state such as BAPL, Matrix fertilizers and Chemical LTD., South Asia Rubber and Polymers Ltd., Bengal Shipyard, Ultratech Cement Ltd., ACC Ltd etc. A total of 23 industrial parks are being set up in the state which will cater to diverse sectors like food, gems and jewellery, rubber, foundry, chemical etc.
Land for the landless
Increased rate of land reforms: While only 5,670 and 37,723 pattas were distributed to landless families during 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively, during the tenure of the present government 1,06,264 pattas have been handed over to landless families.
Use of technology: The e-governance initiatives to provide maps of landed property and particulars relating to title, not only help in earmarking suitable land for industries but also help common man to get land records within few hours at over the counter (OTC) e-governance service.
Increased Land Revenue: Implementation of information technology has led to increase in land revenue collection which rose to Rs 480 crore in 2012-13 as compared to Rs 380 crore in 2011-12. This year the number is poised to breach the Rs 500 crore mark.
The state government has balanced the needs of both, the farmers and the industry, and for that, it could be a role model for the country in implementing land reforms.
