Highway projects face land delays: How Haryana’s e-Bhoomi model could change the process

CHANDIGARH: Land availability can hold up road projects even after funding and construction plans are in place. Haryana is now showcasing its technology-based e-Bhoomi system as a way to make land procurement more organised, transparent and easier to monitor.

Haryana Public Works Minister Ranbir Gangwa presented the state’s experience with the e-Bhoomi model at the national ‘GatiShakti Se Pragati’ Chintan Shivir in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, on Monday. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, along with ministers and senior officials from several states, attended the two-day event focused on speeding up road development.

Speaking on ‘Accelerating Land Acquisition and Leveraging Bhoomi Rashi’, Gangwa said timely availability of land is as important to road projects as funding and construction agencies.

Haryana’s e-Bhoomi system seeks to bring different stages of land procurement onto an online platform. Landowners can voluntarily submit proposals to make their land available for road projects. The proposals are then examined against land records and the requirements of the project before the procurement process moves ahead.

The system creates an electronic record of the process, covering stages from land offering and registration to payment, possession and mutation. This allows officials to track progress and keeps relevant information available at one place.

For landowners, one important aspect is that the price quoted in a proposal is not automatically treated as the final price. Gangwa said land procurement and pricing are carried out according to the prescribed rules and procedures.

The technology-based approach is aimed at reducing uncertainty in the process between landowners and the government while improving transparency and monitoring.

Why land availability matters for highway projects

Road projects can face delays even after financial and construction arrangements are in place if the required land is not available. Advance planning and quicker land procurement can therefore help remove a major hurdle before construction begins.

Haryana’s experience was presented at the national Chintan Shivir as a model that other states could study. The focus was not only on digitising records but also on using technology to track the entire land procurement process.

The broader challenge for states is to make land available early enough for road projects while maintaining transparency and following prescribed procedures for procurement.

During the Chintan Shivir, Gangwa also discussed Haryana’s road-development issues and land availability for projects with Nitin Gadkari.

Ministers and senior officials from across the country are participating in the two-day meeting, where discussions are focusing on land availability, project implementation, highway safety, construction quality and project monitoring.