Amendments Proposed to National Highways Act

In a major push to accelerate infrastructure development, the central government has proposed amendments to the National Highways Act, 1956, aimed at simplifying land acquisition processes and enhancing highway development across the country. The proposed amendments, which have been reviewed by multiple ministries, including Civil Aviation, Railways, Defence, Shipping, Coal, Environment, and the Departments of Legal Affairs and Revenue, have been submitted to the Cabinet and Parliament for approval.

The amendments focus on strengthening national highway projects, facilitating the development of wayside amenities, and reducing arbitration-related delays in land acquisition.

Key proposed amendments are as follows:

1. Returning Unused Land Parcels: Land parcels acquired for National Highway projects will be returned to original owners if they remain unused for five years.
2. Limiting Compensation Objections: Highway authorities and landowners will not be allowed to raise any objections to the compensation amounts for the acquired land after three months of the announcement of the award.
3. Preventing Speculative Construction: Once the government issues a notification for land acquisition, landowners will be restricted from transactions, selling, or making modifications to the land. This step is designed to prevent unauthorized construction and speculative claims for higher compensation.
4. Dedicated Online Portal: The government plans to introduce an online portal to publish land acquisition notices, enhancing transparency and facilitating the process for acquiring the land for wayside amenities, public utilities, tolls, and highway operation offices.
5. Standardized Compensation Calculation: Arbitrators will be required to determine compensation based on the market value of the land at the time of the first notification, preventing arbitrary awards and lengthy legal disputes.
6. Improving Multimodal Connectivity: The amendments will allow the government to designate interchanges between highways, railways, and airports as part of the National Highway network. This will improve connectivity and promote integrated infrastructure development.

The changes introduced to the National Highways Act, 1956, aim to make land acquisition for national highways and related infrastructure projects more efficient. If approved, the proposed amendments are expected to accelerate highway construction, reduce legal disputes, and ensure fair compensation practices.