Resource information
This paper pilots an approach to
identifying, categorizing, and mapping public land owned by
the central, state, and local government in urban developed
areas of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The methodology uses
information on plot sizes, location, and ownership that is
publicly available for all areas covered by town planning
schemes. The study examines the extent of unutilized and
underutilized public land, which excludes all cemeteries,
parks and gardens, heritage buildings, slums, utilities,
infrastructure land, and industrial estates. Unused land
already earmarked for public purposes were also excluded
from the valuation exercise. The potentially marketable land
so identified was valued at both official rates and
estimated market rates. The value of potentially marketable
excess land is significant -- in per capita terms, the
high-value scenario substantially exceeds the estimate of
total infrastructure investment needs for the next 20 years
prepared by an expert committee of the Ministry of Urban
Development of the Government of India.
