Curation Team
KOLKATA: From now on, no land ceiling laws will be applicable for any land allotted by the state, govt agency, or urban local bodies to private parties subject to certain conditions. Any private party buying land through this route will be entitled to automatic approval of exemption of land ceiling laws.
The state urban development and municipal affairs department has issued an order stating that land parcels allotted by the govt as per the procedure prescribed in the land allotment policy will be exempted from provisions of Chapter III of the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976, if the land allottee follows certain conditions. Chapter III of the Act mentions the ceiling limit on vacant land which an individual can hold in urban agglomeration.
It has been stated that private parties who were allotted land by the state govt, a govt parastatal, or an urban local body will be exempted from the provisions of the ceiling on vacant land if they follow the conditions that the purpose of land has not been changed without prior approval of the state. Additionally, the lessee or land allottee will have to utilise the land for the specified purpose as mentioned in the lease deed within three years of the execution of the said deed.
Credai West Bengal, an association of real estate developers, earlier requested the state to consider giving exemptions on the ceiling on vacant land, saying it will help in easing doing business in the state. “This will help in creating an investment-friendly climate in Bengal,” said Sushil Mohta, president, Credai West Bengal.
The move, experts said, will help state agencies earn more revenues by auctioning or selling land parcels on a freehold basis. Officials said the real estate sector was presently witnessing growth as developers are cashing in on the incentives of getting freehold land.
