‘Sell land now or face acquisition’: Haryana unveils hardline policy to fast-track Gurgaon Metro

The notification was issued on January 8 by the town and country planning department. The policy applies to land required for the 29.05 km Millennium City Centre-Cyber City Metro corridor, one of the most critical mass transit projects under Gurgaon’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan, which targets nearly 200 km of Metro and mass transport networks by 2041.

While most of the Metro alignment passes through government land, officials admit that several strategically unavoidable stretches cut through private properties. “These include viaduct sections passing close to existing buildings, properties that need demolition, and a Metro depot that—despite being planned on public land—still requires a small but crucial patch of private land. Even minor delays in acquiring these parcels could derail the entire project schedule,” an official told The Indian Express.

Higher compensation on the cards

At the heart of the new policy is the acknowledgement of a problem that has long plagued infrastructure projects across India: land acquisition under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013, is legally robust but painfully slow. The law mandates multiple notifications, social impact assessments, hearings, objections, and statutory waiting periods, often stretching land acquisition timelines into years.

To bypass this bottleneck, Haryana has introduced the ‘Direct Purchase through Mutual Negotiation’ model, but with a sharp edge. “Landowners are being offered compensation that is 25 per cent higher than what they would ordinarily receive under the 2013 Act, with rehabilitation and resettlement benefits deemed to be included in this enhanced amount. Payments will be made directly to bank accounts through electronic transfer, stamp duty on land registration will be waived, and the entire cost will be borne by GMRL,” an official said.

However, the policy makes it equally clear that this is not an open-ended negotiation. “If a landowner refuses to sell, raises objections that cannot be resolved, or declines to participate in the negotiated settlement process, the government reserves the right to initiate compulsory acquisition proceedings” under the 2013 Act, as per the policy. Once this is done, landowners, most likely, will lose the option of negotiated pricing, face longer timelines, and be bound by statutory compensation mechanisms decided by the authorities.

Officials familiar with the policy say this dual-track approach is deliberate. “By offering higher-than-normal compensation upfront, the government is incentivising voluntary cooperation. At the same time, by explicitly retaining the power of compulsory acquisition, it is sending a message that holding out indefinitely will not stop the Metro project”, officials explained.

How the process will work

A high-powered land purchase committee headed by the deputy commissioner of Gurgaon will oversee the process—from identifying land parcels to fixing compensation and conducting negotiations. The committee includes senior officials from Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority, Municipal Corporation Gurugram, public works department, revenue department, and top executives from GMRL, ensuring that valuation and decision-making remain under strict administrative supervision.

Before any land is purchased, joint inspections will be carried out, ownership records will be verified from revenue documents, and public notices will be published in newspapers, giving landowners 30 days to raise objections related to ownership or interest. Only after this window closes will negotiations begin, and once an agreement is signed, landowners will be required to give a written undertaking that they will not seek higher compensation in any court or legal forum in the future.

After the agreement, GMRL will deposit the negotiated amount with the deputy commissioner, who will pass a formal award and ensure the land is registered and physically handed over to the metro authority. For non-titleholders affected by the project, rehabilitation and resettlement will be handled separately under the project’s Resettlement Action Plan.

Urban planners say the policy could mark a turning point for Gurgaon’s long-delayed Metro expansion. “With traffic congestion worsening and daily commute times rising sharply, any further delays could have economic and social costs for the city. By compressing land acquisition timelines from years to months, the government hopes to keep construction on track and restore investor confidence in large urban infrastructure projects,” an official said.

The policy is also likely to draw criticism as the “negotiate or be acquired” approach leaves limited room for genuine refusal. “For now, the message from Chandigarh is unmistakable: the Gurgaon Metro will move forward, negotiated or not,” a senior official said.