Resource information
Government entities in India hold large
amounts of public land. Their landholdings include some of
the most valuable property in the country. Parts of this
patrimony lie vacant or underutilized. Public sector bodies
also own large blocs of land that sometimes stand in the way
of efficient completion of urban infrastructure networks. At
the same time, urban India is deficient in basic
infrastructure -- both network infrastructure needed to
support economic growth and urban service infrastructure
needed to meet basic household needs like water supply,
waste removal, and transportation. This condition raises
fundamental questions. Are some of government landholdings
"surplus" or not needed for service provision? If
so, can their economic value be captured to help finance
infrastructure investment? This report aims to document
evolving government policies toward pubic land management.
It examines how active public entities are in identifying
"surplus" lands and attempting to monetize them.
Public bodies in India have proved reluctant to surrender
landholdings. The report therefore considers practical
alternatives that have emerged, such as land trading among
public institutions. Land exchange can clear the way for
completion of important urban infrastructure projects,
without requiring public landowners to declare their
property "surplus" and suitable for market disposition.
