The Punjab and Haryana High Court has taken a firm stance on the ongoing delays in land acquisition for the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway. The court has ordered all district collectors and senior superintendents of police (SSPs) to appear before it on April 4, 2025, with affidavits detailing their actions to ensure that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) receives clear land for the project.
A division bench of Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Kuldeep Tiwari issued this order after repeated complaints from NHAI officials regarding encroachments and non-cooperation from landowners, despite compensation payments and legal measures. The petitioners’ legal team criticized the state’s lack of proactive efforts, while Punjab’s Senior Deputy Advocate General, Maninder Singh, defended the administration.
One such case involved Yadwinder Singh from Dhunda village, who refused to vacate a 300-meter land stretch. Punjab Police registered an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the National Highways Act, leading to his arrest. The disputed land was then transferred to NHAI.
The court strongly condemned unnecessary delays, emphasizing that crucial infrastructure projects cannot be held back by bureaucratic inefficiency. It directed district officials to present detailed affidavits outlining their compliance, warning that failure to do so would invite strict action.
The expressway project, which aims to improve connectivity between Delhi, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir, has faced repeated setbacks due to land acquisition hurdles.
