Central Government Designates Competent Authorities for Railway Land Acquisition in Uttar Pradesh

The Ministry of Railways, North Central Railway (Engineering Department), issued a Notification, S.O. 1844(E), dated March 10, 2025, which was subsequently published in the Official Gazette on April 24, 2025. This delegated legislation was issued in exercise of the powers conferred by cause (7A) of section 2 of the Railway Amendment Act, 2008 (Act No. 11 of 2008). The Central Government, through this notification, formally authorized specific officers to act as competent authorities for land acquisition purposes under the provisions of the said Act. This authorization specifically pertains to the acquisition of land required for the construction of a 2-Lane Road Over Bridge (ROB) in lieu of Level Crossing No. 19. This critical infrastructure project is located between Chunar-Chopan Railway Station within the Prayagraj Division, affecting villages Darwan, Hinauta, and Dadara in Tahsil Marihan, situated in the Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh. The notification specified the Special Land Acquisition Officer (Irrigation) for Mirzapur as the designated competent authority for this particular project. The legal consequences of this notification include empowering the identified officer to proceed with land acquisition functions as stipulated by the Railway Amendment Act, 2008, for the aforementioned special railway project. The Notification came into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette on April 24, 2025.

The legislative intent behind this notification is to operationalize the provisions of the Railway Amendment Act, 2008, by clearly identifying the executive authority responsible for land acquisition at the local level for specific railway projects. The earlier legal position, while providing the statutory framework for railway land acquisition through the 2008 Act, required further executive action to designate the specific officers who would carry out these functions for individual projects. This notification addresses this operational gap by formally empowering the Special Land Acquisition Officer (Irrigation) in Mirzapur. This ensures a clear chain of command and accountability for the land acquisition process, which is essential for the timely execution of railway infrastructure development. The legislation provided: “...the Central Government hereby authorizes the officer mentioned in column (2) of the table below as competent such authority to perform the function for Land Acquisition under the said Act with effect from the date of publication of this notification relating to district mentioned in column (3) of the said table for Construction of 2 Lane ROB in lieu of L-Xing No.19 between Chunar-Chopan Railway station of Prayagraj Division, Village-Darwan,Hinauta and Dadara,Tahsil-Marihan in the state of Uttar Pradesh of such Special Railway Project.” This measure facilitates the efficient acquisition of land, a crucial step for the construction of the Road Over Bridge, which aims to enhance safety and reduce traffic congestion at the specified level crossing. The notification does not introduce new rights or obligations beyond what is already established in the Railway Amendment Act, 2008, but rather provides the necessary enforcement mechanism by designating the competent authority to implement the Act's provisions for this specific project.

Keywords: Land Acquisition, Railway Amendment Act 2008, Road Over Bridge, Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, Ministry of Railways, Notification, Infrastructure Project, Competent Authority

Geo Tags: India, Uttar Pradesh District: Mirzapur