State Ranking System on Ease of Land Acquisition for NH Projects Proposed

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is initiating a structured evaluation framework to rank states based upon the ease and efficiency of land acquisition for national highway and expressway projects. This development is pursuant to the recognition that protracted land procurement processes remain a primary impediment to prompt national highway execution.

Under this scheme, state governments will be assessed and benchmarked, with their past performance in land acquisition serving as one of the guiding indicators. Key metrics are still under formulation but will include key aspects like the time taken by states to make at least 90% of the required land available following the approval of a National Highway project.

The results of the ranking will guide central decisions on prioritizing project allotments and allocating resources to states that exhibit greater efficiency and timely progress.

Land acquisition remains one of the most significant causes of delay in infrastructure rollout and, in the past couple of years, has often led to the termination of projects by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) or the descoping of projects in order to issue completion certificates due to lack of availability of land.

In essence, the proposed ranking system is designed to operate as both a diagnostic and allocative tool, reinforcing MoRTH’s commitment to timely delivery of road infrastructure. By institutionalising a structured mechanism for evaluating land acquisition efficiency, the Ministry aims to de-risk project execution, enhance private sector confidence, and ensure optimal utilisation of public resources.