Assam moves bill to fast-track land acquisition for defence, infrastructure and housing projects

The Assam government on July 22 introduced a Bill in the Assembly seeking to ease land acquisition for specified public purpose projects by exempting them from certain provisions of the existing land acquisition law.

The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Assam Amendment) Bill, 2026 was tabled by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika on behalf of Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta.

The proposed legislation seeks to amend Section 10A of the principal Act, allowing land acquisition for specified categories of projects without the mandatory application of Chapters II and III, which primarily deal with Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and safeguards relating to the acquisition of agricultural land.

Under the proposed amendment, the exemption will apply to land required for projects related to national security and defence, rural infrastructure, including electrification, health and education, and affordable housing and housing for the poor.

The Bill also covers land acquisition for industrial areas or estates established by the state government and its undertakings, industrial corridors, infrastructure projects implemented under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model where land ownership remains with the state, and planned urban development projects in and around airports.

The government has stated that only the bare minimum land required for such projects will be notified for exemption under the amended provisions.

The amendment is aimed at expediting strategic infrastructure and development projects while retaining the state's authority to determine the extent of land required for public purposes.