UP govt sets up panel to chart course for utilising unused tract of land in NCR

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has set up a committee to devise a strategy for utilising vast tracts of land lying unused under Noida, Greater Noida, and Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authorities (Yeida), said official sources. As per the state government sources, around four lakh hectares of land has been notified under the three authorities, but the master plans cover only about 150,000 hectares, with just 40,000 hectares having actually been acquired. The state government's move aims at speeding up the industrial growth, drawing investment, and creating jobs by making land availability smoother and more predictable for investors. As a result, the state government has set up a six-member panel, headed by the additional chief secretary of planning department, which has been entrusted with the task to submit its recommendations within 15 days. The CEO of Invest UP, the nodal body dealing with investments, will serve as the member secretary. According to a state government official, the committee would examine best practices adopted by industrial development authorities in other states. It will analyse notified, master plan, and acquired land data of Noida, Greater Noida, Yeida, and other bodies before preparing a strategy for identifying notified areas that currently remain trapped in a regulatory limbo, the official added. According to Chief Secretary SP Goyal, the move is in line with the state's larger industrial roadmap. The Chief Secretary said that in order to speed up industrial growth in the state attracting larger investments, the state government was providing comprehensive support and incentives under the Industrial Investment and Employment Promotion Policy, 2022, along with over 30 sector-specific policies. The chief secretary also underlined the hardships faced by landowners in notified regions. He said that it would take years to cover the entire notified area if the land acquisition continued on the current pace. It would leave large stretches of land undeveloped for long.