DDA bid to regularize farmhouses

NEW DELHI: Delhi Development Authority is moving ahead with plans to regularize farmhouses,even those with built-up areas beyond permissible limits,while allowing new country homes on minimum plot areas of one acre.
The long-pending farmhouse policy will see DDA levying penal charges for regularizing farmhouses exceeding floor area ratios (FAR).The FAR for new farmhouses,to be called country homes,will be increased from the current 1% to 20%.Most farmhouses violate the 1% norm several times over.The policy will cover nearly 2,400 farmhouses in areas like Mehrauli,Neb Sarai,Chhatarpur and Rangpuri.
Although a farmhouse policy has been on the anvil for long,it has faced resistance within DDA on grounds of being elitist.It has also been argued that new farmhouses will curtail new urban extension areas meant to accommodate Delhis swelling population.In order to make the policy more palatable,DDA intends to include in it a plan for unauthorized colonies,urban villages and parts of the walled city as well.The comprehensive policy will be considered by the DDAs next meeting in July.The regularization will cover farmhouses that came up prior to February 2,2007 in Delhis green belt.
The new developments will be called low density residential areas and,according to a May 26 DDA note,will be largely covered by farmhouses.
So far,action against farmhouses has been halted by the yearly renewal of the Delhi (Special Laws) Act.But the measure is intended to ensure a final policy decis