No plans to change land acquisition policy, says cabinet secretary

New Delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) The government has no plans to change its land acquisition policy, Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan has said after it emerged that the issue has been one of the major hurdles in the pendency of infrastructure projects in the country.

In the over 3,300 projects worth Rs 85 lakh crore, 7,735 issues were raised, and 7,156 of them were resolved, he said at a press conference after the 50th meeting of Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI), which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PRAGATI is a review mechanism to expedite projects that have been delayed for various reasons.

Somanathan said that of the 7,156 issues resolved through PRAGATI, 35 per cent pertained to land acquisition, 20 per cent were forest, wildlife and environment issues, 18 per cent were right of use/way, and others were delayed due to law and order, construction, power utility approvals and financial issues.

Responding to questions on whether the government has plans to review its land acquisition policy after the issue emerged as the biggest impediment in project delays, the cabinet secretary said, "There is no plan to change the land acquisition policy." He said all projects valued above Rs 500 crore are reviewed by the PRAGATI platform, and states are keen to resolve their issues through this mechanism, which was devised almost a decade ago.

"All states, irrespective of the political dispensations, want to complete their projects and all chief secretaries have been very responsive in resolving issues," he told reporters.

Somanathan said as many as 382 projects have been reviewed by the prime minister under PRAGATI, and of the 3,187 issues raised in these projects, 2,958 have been resolved.

Of these 382 projects reviewed by the prime minister, 114 have been of roads and highways, 109 pertained to the railways, 54 related to electricity, 20 each of petroleum and coal, 17 were from housing and urban development and 13 from health and family welfare.

Asked about the most vexed project that the PRAGATI mechanism faced, Somanathan said the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project, worth Rs 42,760 crore, was approved in March 1994 and was finally commissioned on June 6, 2025.

Transport Secretary V Umashankar said the New Delhi-Mumbai expressway was among the most vexed road projects that PRAGATI faced and was cleared after tackling a number of bottlenecks.

Railway Board chairman Satish Kumar said following the completion of the Jammu-Srinagar rail link, a new type of travellers have emerged on the route, those who visit to enjoy the scenic beauty. PTI SKC SKU ACB SKC NSD NSD