Central Government Declares Land Acquisition for Jagadhari-Paonta Sahib Section of National Highway 907 in Haryana

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued a formal notification on November 17, 2025, declaring the final acquisition of land for the development of the Jagadhari-Paonta Sahib Section of National Highway 73A, now designated as New National Highway 907. This statutory instrument, identified as S.O. 5205(E), was published in the Gazette of India under the authority of the National Highways Act, 1956. The acquisition pertains to a specific stretch of land extending from kilometer 0.000 to kilometer 52.794 within the Yamunanagar district of Haryana. This move followed the Central Government’s earlier declaration of its intention to acquire the land through a notification dated March 26, 2025, which initiated the formal process for the widening and four-laning of this critical transport corridor.

In accordance with the procedural requirements of the National Highways Act, the substance of the initial intention to acquire was published in local newspapers, including the Hindustan Times and Jagmarg, on March 29, 2025. This allowed affected persons to file objections under Section 3C of the Act, which provides a statutory window for landowners to challenge the acquisition on specific grounds. The competent authority subsequently received, considered, and settled these objections appropriately before submitting a final report to the Central Government. Upon reviewing this report, the executive branch exercised its delegated legislative powers to finalize the acquisition. The notification confirmed that the specified land, which includes both private agricultural plots and Gram Panchayat (village council) land, is required for the maintenance, management, and operation of the highway.

The legal consequence of this notification is the immediate transfer of ownership to the state. The legislation provided: “on publication of this notification in the Official Gazette, the land specified in the said Schedule shall vest absolutely in the Central Government, free from all encumbrances.” This absolute vesting—the legal transfer of settled rights or holdings—ensures that the government acquires the title without any existing liabilities, claims, or legal burdens, known as encumbrances, that might otherwise hinder the infrastructure project. The schedule annexed to the notification details numerous survey and plot numbers across several villages, including Kail, Urjani, and Bahadurpur, affecting various private individuals and local institutional landholders.

The primary policy rationale behind this measure is the expansion of the national highway network to facilitate smoother transit and economic connectivity between Jagadhari and Paonta Sahib. By utilizing the framework of the National Highways Act, 1956, the government addressed the statutory necessity of securing land for public purposes while following a structured timeline for notification and dispute resolution. This enactment effectively overrides prior landholding statuses to prioritize the widening and four-laning of the highway. The enforcement mechanism relies on the statutory report submitted by the competent authority, which serves as the final verification of the land's necessity for the project. This notification marks the transition from the preliminary stage of intent to the final stage of statutory acquisition, enabling the National Highways Authority of India to proceed with the physical construction and management of the specified stretch.

Keywords: National Highways Act 1956, Land Acquisition, NH-907, Yamunanagar, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Gazette Notification, Haryana Infrastructure, Section 3D

Geo Tags: India, Haryana
District: Yamunanagar