India Amends Salt Land Disposal Policy, Unlocking 60,000 Acres For Development

New Delhi, Oct 7 (KNN) In a significant policy shift, the Indian central government has amended its guidelines for the disposal of approximately 60,000 acres of unused and unproductive salt pan lands across the country.

The new policy aims to facilitate the transfer of these lands for various national development projects, including affordable housing and industrial use.

Under the revised guidelines, surplus salt lands can now be allocated for a range of purposes, such as biodiversity conservation, eco-sensitive projects, renewable energy initiatives, and affordable housing schemes.

The transfer of these lands, however, is restricted to central government departments, central public sector enterprises, state governments, and their respective public enterprises.

The policy stipulates that land transfers will be on a 99-year lease basis. In cases of slum redevelopment projects, housing initiatives for economically weaker sections, and industrial plots, only state governments will have the authority to sub-lease these lands to beneficiaries.

Importantly, the designated land use for transferred plots will be fixed at the time of transfer and cannot be altered subsequently.

Private parties are only eligible to acquire salt lands that are under litigation and which government entities are unwilling to take. For such disputed lands, an auction process will be implemented.

The new guidelines have also introduced changes to the cost structure for land transfers. Central public sector enterprises, state governments, and state public sector enterprises will now benefit from reduced rates.

For instance, land transfers for ports, industrial purposes, renewable energy projects, and eco-tourism will be available at 50 per cent of the guideline value or circle rate of the state.

Further discounts are available for specific development categories. Aquaculture development, saltwater fisheries, seawater cultivation, and agricultural innovation projects can acquire land at 25 per cent of the cost.

The same rate applies to slum development, affordable housing, schools, hostels, and other social infrastructure projects.

For public infrastructure and utilities such as roads, highways, bridges, and sewerage plans, the land will be available at just 10 per cent of the guideline value or circle rate.

The policy also addresses lands under litigation, offering an additional 20 per cent discount over the already discounted rate.

If there are no government buyers for disputed land, it will be auctioned to private parties. Central government departments will continue to receive land at a nominal rate of Rs 1, while land for conservation and water management projects will be provided free of charge.

Of the total 59,793 acres of salt lands owned by the central government through the Salt Department of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), approximately 5,000 acres are located in Mumbai and its suburbs.

However, these Mumbai lands are not available for commercial use. Other significant salt land parcels are situated in coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

It is worth noting that sea salt accounts for 82 per cent of the total salt production in India, with Gujarat leading at 85.8 per cent of production, followed by Tamil Nadu at 6.47 per cent and Rajasthan at 6.35 per cent. The total area under salt production in the country is about 6.57 lakh acres.

(KNN Bureau)