Land bank creation policy drafted: Avoid eco-sensitive and cultivable terrain, planning body tells TN govt

CHENNAI: Against the backdrop of the protests organised by the civil society, and criticism from the opposition parties over the acquisition of cultivable and historically sensitive land for the controversial Tungsten mining project in Madurai, the State Planning Commission (SPC) has recommended some radical changes in land bank creation or the avoidance of the same, and land pooling in Tamil Nadu.

A draft policy on ‘Sustainable Land Use Policy of Tamil Nadu – 2024’ prepared by the SPC said that unnecessary pooling of potential fertile lands into a land bank must be avoided and all land banks will be directly linked to development zones. Also, the commission has recommended against the creation of new land banks from the sole perspective of creating a Development Zone.

One of the significant aspects of the policy was devising guidelines for no-go areas on priority basis. The policy submitted by the commission to its chairman and Chief Minister Stalin here on Monday also insisted that the guidelines will be made public before initiating the process for identification of land banks – a process that could avoid confrontation between the State and land owners, mainly farmers in ecologically and economically sensitive areas.

Criteria for land bank creation

The policy has chalked out rules for creating land banks, which included preferable avoidance of cultivable land, protection of interests of vulnerable sections of the society, avoiding poromboke (village commons) lands that provide livelihood benefits or non-forest produces like fruits, grass and firewood to the local people.

In what could enthuse protesters in many sensitive projects like Defence corridor, SIPCOT estates, Parandur airport and Tungsten mining project, the SPC, the key policy designing body of the State government, has exhorted the government to avoid all areas falling within eco sensitive zones, prime agriculture lands, areas susceptible to natural hazards and forest lands for creation of land banks.

Seeking to address the critical issues of deforestation, rapid urbanization, and water scarcity through integrated land management, the policy, which is closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has proposed the introduction of a four-category land zoning mechanism which would classify lands into Development, Conservation, Agricultural, and Transition zones.

Each zone would have distinct guidelines tailored to its purposes.

Development zones support urban and industrial expansion, Conservation zones protect natural resources and eco-sensitive areas, Agricultural zones are intended to secure food production and rural livelihoods, and Transition zones act as buffers, conserving sensitive ecosystems while allowing regulated development.

Going by the draft policy, the commission insisted on constant monitoring of agricultural land converted for industrial/commercial development after demarcation of development zones. The monitoring bodies will keep track of settlement pattern and housing, education and medical facilities in the areas and transportation and communication networks.

The policy has advised the government to avoid heritage and conservation sites and forests, protected areas, wetlands, green cover, buffer areas and other environmentally sensitive areas during categorization of development zones in addition to factoring in hazard vulnerability and disaster prone areas.

Regional plans

In the case of regional plans prepared by the government, the policy recommended efficient land use, infrastructure, and growth of settlements for a larger area than just an individual city or town.

The State government has been advised to focus on location, history, topography, transport, population, age-sex composition, literacy, workforce distribution, zones of development, and industrial, residential and commercial areas in the region. The regional plans should have an exclusive section for sustainable land use based on the principles of zonation. This is critical to avoid the land use conflicts and ensure sustainable development.

The regional and sub-regional plans must be prepared for 15-20 years with a review and revision every five years on a rolling basis.

Loss of farm lands

A study of the dynamics of land use pattern in Tamil Nadu over the last 50 years revealed a significant decline in the Net Sown Area, Gross Cropped Area, and the Area under Cultivable Wastes and Barren and Uncultivable Wastes in the State, while there was a sharp increase in the land put to non-agricultural uses and other fallow lands.

The State’s land use pattern has undergone tremendous transformation over the past few decades due to large-scale urbanisation and industrialisation.