The government is in the process of setting up 115 more special land acquisition units (SLAUs) in different states of the country, which would address problems relating to delays in land acquisition for highways projects under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP).
The government has already set up 55 SLAUs in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Orissa.
“To speed up the process of land acquisition, various steps are being taken... One such measure is setting up of SLAUs in each state... More than 170 SLAUs are being set up to deal with the cases of land acquisition exclusively for NHDP,” an official statement said here today.
The special land acquisition units would not only prepare notifications regarding land acquisition but also finalise the award, besides ensuring disbursement of compensation to land owners.
It is also planning to constitute district-level coordination committees, headed by district magistrates, to coordinate between revenue officers and SLAUs as land acquisition for NHDP projects so far used to be the responsibility of revenue officers.
Under the scheme, 26 such units are being set up in Tamil Nadu, followed by 25 each in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, 13 each in Bihar and West Bengal, 11 each in Orissa and Maharashtra and 10 in Rajasthan. The number of such units in rest of the states varies between one and 7.
“SLAUs would be set up for a specific period of one year... Headed by ADM/SDM level officers and will have 20-25 members. All the administrative and establishment charges for SLAUs will be borne by NHAI,” the statement said.
With the new system, the statement said: “...Senior-level revenue officer (ADM level) will be required to coordinate with SLAUs in the state.
