NHAI scraps 3 Punjab projects over land acquisition hurdles
Nitin Jain
Ludhiana, July 11
The unending protests by farmers have been costing Punjab dear. This is evident from the fact that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has already terminated three national highway projects worth Rs 3,303 crore while the process has been initiated to scrap another four that are worth Rs 4,942 crore.
Hitting a roadblock
1,500-km highways under construction
Rs 52,000 cr total cost of the projects
3 projects costing Rs 3,303 crore terminated by contractors
4 projects worth Rs 4,942 cr in the process of being cancelled
31 works worth Rs 42,175 cr facing delays over land acquisition
Taking possession of land major hurdle
- NHAI says delay in acquiring land, declaration of awards forcing contractors to foreclose/terminate pacts
- Its Chairman SK Yadav has written to Chief Secretary Anurag Verma, who, after holding a meeting of top officials, has assured to expedite the land acquisition process
In Punjab, the NHAI is developing 1,500-km-long highways at a cost of Rs 52,000 crore. However, a delay in the possession of acquired land and declaration of compensation coupled with tardy disbursement of awards have forced the contractors of several projects to foreclose or terminate agreements and raise claims against the NHAI.
Peeved over the issue, the NHAI had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2022. Subsequently, an order was passed in October 2023, directing the state to facilitate the NHAI in taking over the acquired land.
However, not much moved on the ground and the farmers’ protest against land acquisition led to withdrawal of major infrastructure projects in the state.
NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav has now sought the intervention of Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma to facilitate the agency in taking over the acquired land.
In this regard, Verma held a marathon meeting with all deputy commissioners, NHAI project directors and police officers in Chandigarh on Thursday. “We discussed the problems being faced by the NHAI and deliberated upon possible solution for ensuring smooth and timely completion of the highways,” Verma told The Tribune.
“To overcome resistance by farmers in land acquisition, we are engaging with them with offers acceptable to all stakeholders,” he said, adding 10 of the 11 stretches of the Delhi-Katra highway had already been cleared through sustained efforts. The Chief Secretary said he would hold another meeting after three weeks to review the progress.
In a demi-official letter dated June 13, a copy of which is with The Tribune, the NHAI Chairman said the possession of acquired land was delayed due to slow disbursement of compensation and delay in declaration of awards by the authorities. “As on date, disbursement of about Rs 3,700 crore is pending and awards for 845 hectares are yet to be announced,” he pointed out.
Apprising that the NHAI was developing about 1,500-km national highways at an estimated cost of Rs 52,000 crore as part of which huge quantum of land acquisition was in process in different districts, Yadav wrote presently, there were seven highway projects with a total length of 256 km worth Rs 8,245 crore for which the appointed date could not be declared as the minimum possession of 80 per cent of the acquired land had not been delivered to the NHAI. Of these seven projects, three were awarded in 2021.
“Due to inordinate delay in handing over the land, the contractors have started making requests to the NHAI for foreclosing/terminating the agreements and have raised claims against the NHAI, which was forced to terminate three projects costing Rs 3,303 crore,” he mentioned.
The NHAI chief divulged that there were 31 ongoing highway projects with a total length of 1,150-km, costing Rs 42,175 crore, for which the appointed date had been declared, but 100 per cent land had not yet been delivered to the NHAI. “These are mostly greenfield projects and land possession in a number of gaps with aggregate length of 175 km is yet to be handed over to the NHAI,” he added.
