In the last four years NHAI has spent 43 per cent of loans to buy land

The NHAI has spent Rs 1.33 trillion on land acquisition in the past four years, which is nearly 43 per cent of its total loan amount. An additional Rs 350 billion will be spent during the current year on land acquisition. In the past five to six years, the pace of land acquisition has increased as the government has accelerated construction of national highways. The amendment of the Land Acquisition Act of 2013 further increased expenditure on land acquisition. According to NHAI, the average land acquisition cost was approximately Rs 10 million per hectare before the Act was notified, but currently this has increased by 300 per cent. The land acquisition cost is higher when the existing stretches are widened as compared to the cost incurred for greenfield highways.