PUDUCHERRY: There has been a surge in online applications to convert agricultural land for industrial, commercial, and residential purposes, as the recent amendment to the Town and Country Planning Act has simplified land conversion rules, according to Puducherry Planning Authority (PPA) sources.
About 1.84 lakh square metres of agricultural land was recently converted for industrial, commercial, and residential purposes. Of this, 64,928.74 square metres was converted for industrial and commercial use, and the remainder for residential and mixed-use developments.
According to the PPA notification on June 12, a total of 77 land parcels were approved for conversion, of which 52 parcels coming under Puducherry Planning Area have been notified by the government. The remaining 25 land parcels will be converted once the fee is paid by the land owners.
The majority of these land parcels are situated in rural communes such as Villianur, Bahour, Ariyankuppam, and Nettapakkam, with some parcels located in the urban municipalities of Puducherry and Oulgaret.
Besides, 77 land conversion requests are currently under review, following a call for objections by PPA on June 26, said sources. On November 3, 2023, around 6,654 square metres of agricultural land was converted from agriculture to commercial use.
Puducherry has a net sown agricultural area of approximately 16,459 hectares at present, with a gross cropped area of 29,927 hectares. This includes 23,838 hectares of food crops and 6,089 hectares of non-food crops.
“Agriculture is not very profitable, and the income generated is very low,” said V Chandrasekar, a farmer from Bahour. There are numerous challenges with issues such as a scarcity of agricultural labourers, low yields, and unseasonal rains. Since the closure of PASIC, there have been difficulties in obtaining subsidised agricultural inputs. Furthermore, delays in the release of benefits from agricultural schemes exacerbate the situation, he added
In contrast, the real estate market in Puducherry is booming, offering agricultural landowners lucrative returns. “There is a great demand for land for real estate, which fetches the owners a good price. Hence, several people owning agricultural land are opting for land conversion to get a better price for their holdings,” a government source said.