Government Discloses 10,000 Acres of Defence Land Encroached

The Indian government reported to Parliament that over 10,000 acres of its 18 lakh defence land acres are encroached. The revelation came from Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth. The encroachments and historical leasing details, governed by Cantonment Acts, were discussed with an interim policy in effect.

The Indian government revealed on Monday that approximately 10,249 acres of the nation's 18 lakh acres of defence land are currently encroached upon. The information was provided by Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth in a written response to the Rajya Sabha.

Seth shared state-wise data about these encroachments when asked for specifics about the locations affected. Historically, defence land has been leased to private entities, institutions, and government bodies under various legislative frameworks.

To address these historical leases and encroachments, a policy was enacted in 2017 and extended until December 2025. The legal handling of encroachments is outlined in the Cantonments Act, 2006 and the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971.