Central Government Notifies Land Acquisition for Kalyan-Asangaon 4th Railway Line Project

The Ministry of Railways (Central Railway) issued Notification S.O. 866(E) on February 18, 2025, in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, formally declaring the acquisition of land for the Kalyan-Asangaon 4th line Special Railway Project. This notification, published on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, came into force upon its publication. The Central Government's action follows a prior notification, S.O. 5199 (E), dated November 29, 2024, which had initially declared its intention to acquire land for the execution, maintenance, management, and operation of this critical railway infrastructure project. The land parcels identified for acquisition are situated in the villages of Vaveghar and Guravli within the Kalyan Taluka of Thane district in Maharashtra. The process involved the publication of the substance of the initial notification in daily newspapers, namely Mahamumbai Pudhari and The Free Press Journal, on December 12, 2024, as mandated by sub-section (4) of section 20A of the Railway Act, 1989. Following this, no objections were received from Vaveghar and Guravli villages, and the competent authority duly considered the matter before submitting its report to the Central Government.

The legislative intent behind this notification is to facilitate the timely and efficient development of essential railway infrastructure. The action is taken under the framework of the Railway Act, 1989 (24 of 1989), as amended by the Railway (Amendment) Act, 2008 (11 of 2008), specifically invoking powers conferred by sub-section (1) and sub-section (2) of section 20E of the said Act. The earlier legal position allowed for the declaration of intent to acquire land, which then progressed through a process of public notification and consideration of objections. This notification addresses the need to finalize the acquisition process by formally declaring the land acquired and ensuring its absolute vesting in the Central Government. The legislation provided: “Now therefore, upon receipt of the report of the Competent Authority and in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 20 E of the said Act, the Central Government hereby declares that the lands specified in the schedule annexed hereto shall be acquired for the aforesaid purpose; And further, in pursuance of sub-section (2) of section 20 E of the said Act, the Central Government hereby declares that on publication of this notification in the official Gazette, the land specified in the schedule annexed hereto shall vest absolutely in the Central government free from all encumbrances.” This means that once the notification is published, the ownership of the specified land transfers completely to the Central Government, clear of any claims or liabilities (encumbrances). The schedule annexed to the notification provides a detailed brief description of the land to be acquired, including survey numbers, landholder names, and total acquisition area in hectares, for the Kalyan-Asangaon 4th line project, under the purview of the Competent Authority for Land Acquisition and Sub Divisional Officer's Office, Kalyan.

Keywords: Land acquisition, Railway Act, Central Railway, Kalyan-Asangaon, Maharashtra, Thane, Special Railway Project, Notification, Government of India, Infrastructure

Geo Tags: India, Maharashtra
District: Thane