Gandhinagar, Jan 25 (IANS) The Gujarat government on Sunday announced a major policy decision aimed at accelerating urban development and improving administrative transparency by allowing municipalities to obtain government land free of cost for key public infrastructure projects.
Under the new arrangement, municipalities will no longer be required to pay 25 to 50 per cent of the jantri rate for government land used for specified civic works.
Until now, municipalities seeking government land for development projects were required to deposit a substantial amount based on prescribed jantri rates.
Officials said this financial burden often delayed or stalled critical projects. The revised policy is expected to reduce procedural hurdles and enable faster execution of essential works, ensuring the timely delivery of basic facilities to urban residents.
According to the government decision, land will be allotted without any charge for 11 categories of public infrastructure.
These include municipal service centres serving as administrative offices, fire stations, sewage treatment plants, water treatment plants, underground sewerage drainage pumping stations, water supply projects, storm water drainage systems, town halls, community halls, convention centres and other essential infrastructure linked to basic civic amenities.
An official statement said the move was taken to make urban governance more transparent and citizen-oriented, and to ensure that basic facilities reach people without unnecessary delays.
The statement added that removing the cost of land acquisition would significantly ease the financial pressure on municipalities and allow them to focus resources on construction and service delivery.
A government official said the decision would also help revive projects that had been held up due to funding constraints related to land costs.
“Municipalities will now be able to plan and implement infrastructure projects more efficiently, without the earlier requirement of paying a portion of the jantri value for government land,” the official said.
The policy will apply across the state and is expected to benefit multiple municipalities undertaking development works.
Officials indicated that detailed implementation guidelines would be issued to ensure smooth and uniform execution of the decision across urban local bodies.
–IANS
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