Prerequisites and Factors for Effective and Efficient Implementation of Land Pooling/Reconstitution: Learnings from Asian Countries

The land pooling/readjustment (LP/R) technique has been extensively used for centuries for fostering planned urban development in various developing and developed countries. In the recent past LP/R models have emerged in several Indian states and cities as an alternate to compulsory land acquisition. These include land pooling in Raipur, Chhattisgarh through the Town Development Scheme - 2015, the land pooling policy for Delhi - 2013, land readjustment and land pooling in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra - 2014, and land pooling for Amravati, Andhra Pradesh - 2015. There are several factors that could adversely affect the implementation of LP/R projects and different situations would require different kinds of contextually relevant approaches for effective implementation of LP/R projects. Given the emerging LP/R models in several Indian states as an alternative to compulsory land acquisition, this article analyses the opportunities and constraints as recorded in literature around the world, with a focus on Asian countries, to identify the prerequisites and factors for effective and efficient implementation of the LP/R mechanism.