In an attempt to expedite the land acquisition process for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued eight commandments to ensure prompt and efficient acquisition of land for national infrastructure projects. The Punjab DGP has been directed to provide police assistance to the NHAI for acquiring encumbrance-free possession of land from affected landowners.
The Bench of Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Kuldeep Tiwari made it clear that the assistance was required to be provided promptly, especially after the determination of compensation. The DGP was also instructed to take appropriate action against police officials, if there were delays in providing the requested assistance to the NHAI.
