In the draft National Highways Amendment Bill 2010, the Union Ministry of
Road Transport and Highways has proposed a clause that says if a planned road is
abandoned, the original owner will reserve the right to buy back the land by
returning the money paid by the government for the purchase.
Further, the owner will not have to pay the appreciation price but only that
received when he or she sold the land. However, if the owner declines to buy
back the land at the price paid by the NHAI at the time of acquisition, the land
will be open for selling to other interested buyers.
The new practice is likely to be followed by NHAI for all national highway
projects in the country.