Defence Ministry controls 17.57 lakh acres of land

NEW DELHI: The Defence Ministry has under its control about 17.57 lakh acres of land, on which there are about 46,299 unauthorised constructions.

All defence land records are maintained by the Defence Estates Department under the ministry, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in a written reply submitted to the Lok Sabha today.

Talking about the action taken against the unauthorised construction, he said it is taken under provisions of the Public Premises Act, 1971 as well as under the Cantonments Act 2006.

He said detailed instructions emphasising the need for ensuring vigilance, detection and prevention of new encroachments have been issued by the ministry.

In a separate reply, he said defence land is acquired only after the use of land is specified and accepted by the government.

"Hence, there is no surplus defence land. Defence land which is presently lying vacant or unused is either earmarked for a specific purpose or is meant to be used for defence purpose in future as per strategic, operational and Key Location Plan (KLP) needs and in keeping with requirements of the dynamic security environment of the country," he said.

The largest tract of land under the Defence is in Rajasthan where it has 8,21,186.681 acres, and in Dadra and Nagar Haveli does not have any plot.