NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Monday announced to increase the circle rates for agricultural land in the city and those adjacent to the Yamuna barrage. This is the first increase in circle rates of agricultural land since 2008, said the officials.
The government said that previously, agricultural lands across the city had uniform circle rates, however, they have now been delineated on a district basis. Moreover, they have been categorized into Green Belt Villages, Urbanized Villages, and Rural Villages. In the South and New Delhi districts, the circle rate for agricultural land will peak at `5 crore per acre. This proposal will now be forwarded to L-G VK Saxena for his approval.
In a statement later, the government said that since assuming power in 2013 and 2015, the Arvind Kejriwal government has been persistently striving to elevate the circle rates of agricultural land. The process faced obstacles due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, “The farmers of Delhi have been demanding for a long time that the rates of their agricultural land be increased. A few years ago, we also increased them, but due to some reason, they could not be implemented. Today, I am happy to inform all the farmers of Delhi that your demand has been fulfilled.”
Revenue Minister Atishi said that the circle rate of agricultural land in Delhi has remained stagnant at `53 lakh per acre since 2008.
“This lack of revision deprived farmers of fair compensation for their lands. Moreover, these agricultural lands are frequently acquired in Delhi for crucial infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, universities, or hospitals. Yet, when farmers sold their lands for these projects, they received compensation based on the outdated circle rate, resulting in inadequate compensation,” she said.
She said that, until now, Delhi farmers had been receiving compensation based on a circle rate of Rs 53 lakh per acre, which significantly falls short of the prevailing market rate.
“Consequently, both farmers and the government have suffered losses. In cases where farmers do not receive equitable rates for their lands through government projects, the situation often escalates into legal disputes, leading to protracted court battles that can span years. This, in turn, causes delays in the implementation of various government infrastructure projects,” she stressed. Following the revision of the circle rate, farmers will now receive rightful compensation for their lands, she said.