The Centre informed the Supreme Court that out of 75,629 acres of defence land, 2,024 acres have been encroached upon by individuals; steps for eviction are underway.
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NEW DELHI: The Central Government has revealed that a crucial portion of defence land across India has been encroached upon by individuals and misused by former lessees. The affidavit filed by the Ministry of Defence sheds light on the extent of encroachment and outlines both the challenges and steps taken to recover the land.
According to the affidavit submitted in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by NGO Common Cause in 2014, nearly 2,024 acres of defence land have been encroached upon by individuals, while an additional 1,575 acres are under unauthorised occupation by former agricultural lessees. These lessees had initially leased the land for farming purposes, but continued their occupation even after the lease period ended.
Out of a total of 75,629 acres of defence land under the administration of the Defence Estates Organisation (DEO):
- 52,899 acres lie within cantonments.
- 22,730 acres are situated outside the cantonments.
The report also highlighted that about 819 acres of defence land are currently in use by state and central government departments for public-utility projects such as schools, bus stands, roads, and parks.
Representing the Centre, Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, that the government has filed a detailed status report and is actively working to remove encroachments.
Key steps include:
- Formation of a new committee to monitor and coordinate the eviction process.
- Launch of an Encroachment Module under a real-time Digital Record Management System, developed in-house by the Directorate General of Defence Estates (DGDE).
- Boundary walls and fencing of vulnerable plots to prevent future encroachments.
- Engagement with state authorities to explore the possibility of land exchanges, offering equivalent land parcels in return for defence land occupied for public use.
The Defence Ministry stated that 1,715 acres have been recovered over the last decade, and 220 acres were reclaimed in the current year alone, thanks to technology-driven surveys and increased support from local administration.
Despite these efforts, the affidavit acknowledged several operational bottlenecks in reclaiming the land. These include:
- Judicial stays and court orders are delaying enforcement.
- Non-availability of police and magistrates during eviction proceedings.
- Infrastructural and procedural hurdles affecting on-ground implementation.
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has been closely monitoring the matter. In a hearing earlier this year, the court expressed serious concern over the irregular allotment of defense land to private parties.
It hinted at forming a probe committee to investigate large-scale misuse and illegal construction in certain cantonment areas—some of which reportedly host palatial bungalows and massive commercial complexes, allegedly built in collusion with defence estates officials.
The Centre has been granted two months to submit an updated status report detailing the progress of the newly formed committee and additional eviction efforts.
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