In an attempt to expedite the approval process for land acquisition, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has formulated a revised set of guidelines, which will also minimise the risk of falsely inflated land costs or manipulative changes in land use to obtain higher compensation.
Under the updated guidelines for approving alignment and land acquisition plans (LAP), a detailed project report (DPR) will be presented in three alignments following consultations with all stakeholders to prevent objections in later stages.
The consultant or project director will also be required to collaborate with the National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) to plan wayside amenities along the proposed alignments.
Upon receiving approval for a road development project and finalising the alignment, NHAI may engage with state or district authorities to restrict the sale or purchase of identified land and alterations in land use.
The authorities may also be urged to update revenue maps or records for villages within the alignment or right of way.
These authorities may also be asked to halt the sale/purchase or change in land use once the Land Acquisition Committee (LAC) approval is granted, as per the guidelines.
Additionally, the project director will be responsible to subsequently assess the viability of alignments on Gati Shakti Portal — which will disclose whether there are existing or proposed infrastructure development plans by other departments or ministries in the specified right of way or its vicinity.
The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (NMP) was launched in October 2021 focusing on multimodal connectivity infrastructure for various economic zones. This digital platform aims to bring together 16 ministries for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.
To ensure the timely approval of alignment, LAP, and land acquisition cost — the projects and approvals from the acquisition committee must be obtained by 30 June each year or within three months of the project’s inclusion in the scheme.