Uttar Pradesh Eases Land-Use Rules, Slashes Conversion Fees.

Faster approvals and lower costs to accelerate development across the state.

Uttar Pradesh has eased land-use conversion rules and reduced conversion fees to speed up approvals and support faster development. Development authorities can now modify land use for plots of up to 6,000 square metres, reducing the need for lengthy state-level approvals. The move is expected to simplify the approval of maps and layout plans and shorten construction timelines. The state government had earlier empowered development authority boards, including the Gorakhpur Development Authority (GDA), to change agricultural land to residential use for townships under the CM Urban Expansion New City Promotion Scheme. Conversion charges have also been substantially reduced across categories. Agricultural-to-industrial conversion fees have been cut from 20% to 15% of circle rates, while residential conversion has fallen from 50% to 25%. Institutional conversion is now 50% instead of 100%, commercial conversion is 75% instead of 150%, and mixed-use conversion is 65% instead of 125%. The changes are aimed at lowering development costs and making project approvals more efficient.