For First Time in 250 Yrs, India to Bring About Extensive Changes in Defence Land Policy

New Delhi: A policy on tinkering with defence land in India for any purpose other than the military has been a strict no-no since the British set up the first cantonment in Bengal’s Barrackpore in 1765, shortly after beginning the process of consolidating their rule in the sub-continent.

In April 1801, the East India Company’s Governor General-in-Council ordered: “No bungalows and Quarters at any of the Cantonments shall be allowed to be sold or occupied by any person who does not belong to the Army”. What was supposedly then cast in stone may now be recast in 2021.

EVI development

The Narendra Modi government has approved new rules that allow equal value infrastructure (EVI) development for armed forces in lieu of the land procured from them. The new rules come ahead of a series of defence land reforms that is under consideration of the government, which is also working towards finalising a Cantonment Bill 2020, aiming to provide for development in cantonment zones, considered virtually sacrosanct till now.

According to Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, defence land needed for major public projects like building of metro, roads, railways, and flyovers – could only be exchanged for land of equivalent value, or after payment of market prices.

Under the new rules, eight EVI projects have been identified, which the acquiring party can provide infrastructure for in coordination with the concerned Service. They include building units and roads, among other projects. According to the new regulations, the value of land would be determined by a committee headed by the local military authority in cases under cantonment zones. For land outside cantonments, the district magistrate will decide on the rate.

Connected moves

There are connected moves on the governmental chessboard as well. The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has pegged monetising defence land as the only way to generate revenue for the proposed non-lapsable modernisation fund.

According to officials, a draft cabinet note on setting up the defence modernisation fund is currently undergoing inter-ministerial consultations, and a final decision is expected soon, following which it will be placed before the Union cabinet for approval.

Says Lt Gen HS Panag (Retd): “Since defence lands are in the most prime areas all over the country, over the years, politicians and civic officials have demanded that they be used for undertaking developmental activities. Now it seems, it is happening.”

All along the GT Road – from Delhi to Peshawar for instance there are camping grounds and old depots that are not in use any longer, built by the British Indian Army during the Second World War when troops had to be moved from one place to the other.

The Department of Military Affairs (DMA), headed by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Bipin Rawat, had told the government last year that proceeds from defence land monetisation would be hardly adequate to meet the armed forces’ requirements.