Land acquisition for highways has to be done by states: NHIDC

KOLKATA: Acquisition of land for highways is the responsibility of state governments and needs to be done within a stipulated timeframe, a top official of the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDC) said today.

"Acquisition of land is the responsibility of the state governments. Getting forest clearances and shifting of utilities are also the responsibilities of the states," NHIDC Managing Director Anand Kumar said at an MCCI interaction said here.

He said that land would have to be acquired within a stipulated timeframe and the process cannot go on for an indefinite period.

"It is not a matter between states and the union. Both have to come together for improving infrastructure development," Kumar said.

Regarding West Bengal, he said that there were no specific projects at the moment, but the corporation was preparing a detailed project report for an ADB-funded project in north Bengal.