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• Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has said Gujarat's approach to land acquisition could serve as a model for other states undertaking infrastructure projects.
• He credited the state's administrative mechanisms for helping expedite highway development while reducing disputes during land acquisition.
• Gujarat has introduced measures to curb speculative land transactions along proposed highway alignments during the planning stage.
• The minister also reviewed ongoing national highway projects and urged the state to continue accelerating infrastructure development.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has praised Gujarat's land acquisition framework, describing it as an approach that could be replicated across the country to facilitate faster infrastructure development. Speaking during a review meeting on national highway projects in Gandhinagar, Gadkari said efficient land acquisition remains one of the most critical factors influencing the timely completion of highway projects.
The minister noted that delays in acquiring land often lead to cost escalations, prolonged construction schedules and contractual challenges for infrastructure projects. According to him, Gujarat has demonstrated that a coordinated administrative process, supported by clear procedures and timely decision-making, can significantly reduce such delays while enabling projects to progress more efficiently.
During the meeting, the Gujarat government highlighted a standard operating procedure (SOP) introduced to prevent speculative land transactions along proposed highway corridors. Under this mechanism, district collectors are authorised to temporarily withhold non-agricultural (NA) permissions for villages falling within the alignment of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) until the land acquisition process is completed. The objective is to discourage unauthorised development and minimise artificial escalation in land values before acquisition.
Gadkari observed that measures aimed at improving transparency and reducing speculation can help create a more predictable acquisition process for both landowners and project authorities. He indicated that such practices could provide useful guidance for other states undertaking large-scale highway, expressway and logistics infrastructure projects.
The review meeting also assessed the progress of ongoing National Highway projects across Gujarat. Officials discussed the implementation status of several road corridors and examined ways to accelerate execution by resolving pending administrative and technical issues. The minister directed authorities to ensure that proposals under the Central Road Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) are submitted promptly to facilitate faster approvals and funding support.
Among the key announcements, Gadkari stated that construction work to extend the Ahmedabad-Dholera Expressway up to Bhavnagar is expected to commence within the next three months. The extension is intended to strengthen regional connectivity and support industrial and port-led economic development in the state.
Land acquisition continues to be one of the most challenging aspects of infrastructure execution across India, particularly for linear projects such as highways, rail corridors and transmission networks. Delays in securing land frequently affect project timelines, increase construction costs and postpone the delivery of public infrastructure.
The minister's remarks underscore the importance of administrative reforms alongside engineering execution in delivering major infrastructure projects. As India continues to expand its highway network, state-level innovations in land acquisition, planning and project coordination are expected to play an increasingly significant role in ensuring timely completion of national infrastructure programmes.
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