The government informed Parliament that "about 11,152 acres" of defence land is encroached, while "around 45,906 acres" has been identified as surplus and shared with other ministries for possible use.
It added that no assessment has been conducted on the impact of acquisition or eviction drives on rural communities, and rejected claims of returning "Rs 12,500 crore" from the 2024–25 capital budget, saying the revised allocation was fully utilised.
Out of around 18 lakh acres of defence land nationwide, "about 11,152 acres is under encroachment," the Centre informed Parliament on Friday. Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth provided the figures in a written reply in the Lok Sabha to a query seeking state-wise details of defence land lying unused, encroached or under litigation.
Seth said defence land is used for essential military purposes and to meet the strategic, operational and security needs of the armed forces. He noted that "around 45,906 acres of vacant defence land has been identified which is surplus to the requirements of the armed forces," and that details of these land parcels have been shared with other central ministries to assess their requirements.
He added that land which may appear unused is actually reserved for training, mobilisation practice, construction under Key Location Plans (KLP) and the creation of married accommodation and other infrastructure for the military. Seth also told the House that "about 8,113 acres of defence land is 'under litigation' across the country."
On whether the government has assessed the impact of prolonged acquisition processes or eviction drives on rural communities, he said "No such assessment has been carried out by the Ministry of Defence," but compensation and rehabilitation packages under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 are provided whenever private land is acquired.
Responding to a separate question on whether "Rs 12,500 crore" was returned from the 2024–25 capital acquisition budget due to slow procurement, Seth clarified that the Defence Services were allocated ₹1,72,000 crore at the Budget Estimate stage, revised to ₹1,59,500 crore at the Revised Estimate stage, "which was completely utilised by the Ministry of Defence during the Financial Year 2024-25."
Asked about proposed amendments to the Defence Acquisition Procedure to shorten procurement timelines, he replied, "Yes."
(with PTI inputs)
