LG: MUTATION OF LAND IN URBAN VILLAGES OPEN, MOVE TO BENEFIT LAKHS

NEW DELHI: In a move that will simplify the transfer of ownership rights of agricultural land in 174-plus 'declared urban villages', lieutenant governor V K Saxena announced Tuesday the opening of mutation on the basis of inheritance. He said the decision will impact lakhs of residents who had been denied this natural right from 2010.

"I have been frequently visiting villages of the Capital and repeatedly received demands from every single village. Several civic society organisations had requested the opening of the process for mutation... A delegation of seven MPs from Delhi too had given a representation," Saxena said at a DDA event in Mangolpuri industrial area. "From Tuesday, mutation of agricultural land in the urbanised villages of Delhi on the basis of inheritance has begun by revenue authorities as it used to be done earlier."

Land mutation: Camps to be set up from this week

To roll out the process, camps will be set up in villages from this week, starting with 12 villages on Friday. An official said no amendment will be required in Delhi Development Act to implement the process.

The 174-odd villages were declared urbanised from 2017 onwards. However, the process of transferring the title or ownership of the land to family members was stopped as the villages were urbanised and transferred to DDA. Officials argued that post-urbanisation, the Delhi Land Revenue Act, under which mutation is done, was no longer applicable to them.

Bhupinder Bazad, president of the master plan committee of Delhi Dehat Vikas Manch, welcomed the decision. "We were holding protests at two places in Delhi, including Daulatpur village, and allowing mutation was among other prominent demands. Our demand also included implementing master plan 2041," said Bazad.

The LG also laid the foundation for supplying PNG to 21 villages, laid the foundation stone for 41 new projects, and inaugurated seven projects spread across 18 villages of northwest Delhi under the Dilli Gramodaya Abhiyan (DGA). The 'NaMo Drone Didi Scheme' was also launched to empower women and help them earn livelihood for their families.

To date, 573 projects worth Rs 523 crore have been sanctioned under the DGA scheme, with funds of about Rs 960 crore transferred to DDA for development works in various villages. Of these, 89 are being executed by DDA. While DDA is the nodal agency, it is working in sync with various civic agencies like the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Irrigation and Flood Control.

The developmental works launched on Tuesday will cover villages across northwest Delhi, under the subdivisions of Kanjhawala, Rohini, and Saraswati Vihar. Projects to be taken up include renovation, repair, and upgrade of chaupals, public buildings, baarat ghar, community halls, roads, lanes and drain improvement works, and repair and renovation of cremation grounds.