A highway does not move from a drawing to a construction site in one step. Before machinery can enter a corridor, the land required for the project must be identified, surveyed, notified, acquired, compensated, and made available for possession. For National Highways, this process is governed primarily by the National Highways Act, 1956, while compensation is determined in accordance with the applicable provisions of the RFCTLARR Act, 2013. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways states that land for National Highways and associated purposes is acquired under Section 3 of the NH Act and that compensation is determined in accordance with the First Schedule of the RFCTLARR Act.
In July 2026, the Government reported that 10,389 km of National High-Speed Corridors had been awarded, including 5,580 km under implementation, and identified Bhoomi Rashi and GIS-based Land Acquisition Plans among measures being used to expedite acquisition. For Pawan Highways India Pvt. Ltd. (PHIPL), a highway and infrastructure contractor, understanding this process is important because construction activity ultimately depends on the availability of the required corridor.
1. Establishing the Required Corridor
The Highway Land Acquisition Process begins with a defined alignment and the identification of the land needed for it. MoRTH’s land acquisition manual states that finalising the optimal alignment is the first step on which acquisition proposals are prepared. Project teams then translate the alignment into specific parcels, survey numbers, boundaries and areas. The objective is not simply to identify a route on a map but to determine exactly which land is required for the proposed Right of Way (RoW).
2. Reconciling Maps With Revenue Records
Once the corridor is identified, project authorities have to establish who owns the affected land and what area is recorded against each parcel. Revenue maps, survey records, ownership information, sale deeds and other land documents may need to be checked and correlated. NHAI documents describe coordination with revenue departments and registrar offices for records, surveys, circle rates and valuation information. The Highway Land Acquisition Process relies heavily on this record matching because errors in survey numbers, ownership or area can affect subsequent notifications and compensation.
3. Preparing the Acquisition Proposal
The acquisition proposal consolidates the land information required for statutory action. It identifies the parcel, area, nature of land and beneficiary details and connects them with the approved highway alignment. MoRTH’s land acquisition manual explains that proposals are prepared after due diligence on alignment and Right of Way (RoW) requirements. This information provides the factual base for notification and valuation.
4. Publishing the Section 3A Notification
The next formal stage under the National Highways Act is the Section 3A notification. Where the Central Government is satisfied that land is required for the building, maintenance, management or operation of a National Highway, it may publish a notification declaring its intention to acquire that land. The notification contains a brief description of the land. This marks the formal beginning of the statutory acquisition procedure.
5. The Opportunity to Raise Objections
Section 3C gives a person interested in the land an opportunity to object to its use for the stated purpose. The objection must be made in writing within 21 days from publication of the Section 3A notification. The Competent Authority for Land Acquisition, or CALA, provides an opportunity of being heard and may conduct an enquiry before determining whether the objection should be allowed or disallowed. The Land Acquisition for National Highways process therefore includes a defined statutory stage for affected interests to be considered before acquisition is declared.
6. Moving From Intention to Acquisition
After the objection stage, Section 3D provides for the declaration that the land should be acquired. Once the declaration is published, the land vests absolutely in the Central Government free from encumbrances. The Act also provides that the Section 3A notification ceases to have effect if a Section 3D declaration is not published within one year, subject to the statutory exclusion of time during which court proceedings may have stayed the action. This is the legal transition from proposed acquisition to acquired land.
7. Assessing Land and Attached Assets
Land is not always the only property affected by acquisition. A parcel can contain buildings, boundary structures, wells, trees, crops or other assets that need to be assessed. NHAI procedures call for valuation of assets attached to land and provide for consolidated awards covering land and such assets. In Land Acquisition for National Highways, the compensation assessment therefore depends on the identified land and the assets connected with it.
8. Determining Compensation Under the Applicable Framework
Section 3G of the National Highways Act provides for determination of the amount payable for acquired land. MoRTH states that, with effect from 1 January 2015, compensation for National Highway acquisitions is determined in consonance with the First Schedule of the RFCTLARR Act, 2013. The process can also involve valuation of structures and other attached assets. The Highway Land Acquisition Process therefore links the legal acquisition of land with a defined statutory compensation framework.
9. Award, Deposit and Disbursement
After assessment, the CALA issues the compensation award under Section 3G. NHAI’s pre-construction guidance states that the compensation determined by CALA is deposited with the authority under Section 3H, after which CALA disburses the amount to entitled persons. The MoRTH land acquisition system also supports online processing of awards, documents and payments, creating a clearer link between acquisition records and compensation disbursement.
10. When Possession Can Be Taken
Section 3E addresses delivery of possession. Once the land has vested under Section 3D and the amount determined under Section 3G has been deposited in accordance with Section 3H, the competent authority may issue notice requiring the owner or person in possession to surrender or deliver possession. The Act provides up to 60 days from service of the notice for this purpose. This distinction matters because notified land is not automatically the same as land physically available for construction.
11. Handling Compensation Disputes
Disagreement over compensation does not automatically invalidate the acquisition. Section 3G(5) provides that where the amount determined by the competent authority is not acceptable to either party, the amount may, on application by either party, be determined by an arbitrator appointed by the Central Government. Separate questions concerning apportionment of compensation may also require determination through the appropriate judicial process. The Land Acquisition for National Highways framework therefore includes formal mechanisms for resolving financial disputes.
12. Digitalisation Through Bhoomi Rashi
The Highway Land Acquisition Process has become increasingly digital. MoRTH launched the Bhoomi Rashi portal on 1 April 2018 to digitise and automate land acquisition workflows. The Ministry says the system provides standardised formats, online processing, links between successive notifications, document uploads, an award calculator and integration with the e-Gazette and PFMS. Its current guidance states that the system has helped make notifications more transparent and process them on a real-time basis.
13. Why RoW Availability Matters to Contractors
MoRTH’s manual notes that Right of Way (RoW) requirements vary with highway configuration and that existing roads can present additional challenges where buildings, utilities, encroachments and other constraints occupy the corridor. For contractors such as PHIPL, this has direct practical importance. A project may have been awarded and mobilised, but a construction activity cannot proceed through a location where the required land has not been made available for execution. The Highway Land Acquisition Process therefore affects construction through the location and continuity of the available corridor, not merely through an overall acquisition percentage.
14. From Acquired Land to Construction Readiness
Land acquisition reaches construction readiness when the required parcels have passed through the necessary legal, compensation and possession stages and are available for the planned work. PHIPL operates within this larger project chain across highway, expressway and infrastructure construction, where the transition from statutory acquisition to physical execution is an important project interface. The Highway Land Acquisition Process may largely be administered by government agencies and statutory authorities, but its outcome directly influences when and where construction can begin.
The Highway Land Acquisition Process is a structured sequence rather than a single administrative action. It moves from alignment and parcel identification to revenue verification, Section 3A notification, objections under Section 3C, acquisition under Section 3D, valuation and compensation under Section 3G, payment under Section 3H, and possession under Section 3E. Digital systems such as Bhoomi Rashi and GIS-based acquisition planning are now helping authorities streamline this workflow.
For Pawan Highways India Pvt. Ltd. (PHIPL), the significance of this process is practical. Highway construction begins on the ground only after the required corridor becomes legally and physically available. Understanding the Land Acquisition for National Highways framework helps explain why the period before construction can be as structured and consequential as the construction phase itself. Once the Right of Way (RoW) is available, contractors can convert an approved alignment into a buildable work front and begin the physical delivery of infrastructure.
