Defence

The Armed Forces comprises four service branches – Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indian Navy, and Indian Coast Guard. The Armed forces fall under the Ministry of Defence. The ministry is the largest landholder in the country. The ministry is charged with the responsibility of countering insurgency and ensuring external security of India.

Total Defence Land Allocation

#	Service	as (% of total)
1	Army	79.7%
2	Air Force	8.7%
3	Navy	2.1%
4	Ordnance Factory	2.9%
5	Other	6.6%

Ministry of Defence is the largest landowner in the country. It holds 43.4 lakh acres (17,570 sq. km) of area. This area is about twelve times the area of New Delhi (1,484 sq. km) and four times the area of Mumbai (4,355 sq. km). Most policy discussions treat Defence property as “off limits” when it comes to identifying surplus landholdings. Defence holds the largest blocs of urban land in the country.
Countries such as Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, and the Philippines all have found that more than 90% of total public land identified as “surplus” and monetized has come from outdated military bases.
The value of the surplus and misused land parcels under the Armed forces when freed up is ₹ 21.53 lakh crore (₹ 86,000 per household). This estimate is computed using conservative land prices and a meagre FSI of 1.

Military Cantonments Across India

In addition to this land, 62 cantonment boards (see map 1, and 2 and accompanying tables 1, and 2) use more than 2,18,068 acres ( sq. km). Most of the cantonment boards are located in the heart of the city occupying prime real estate.

Table 1: Military Cantonments Across India

#	Cantonment Board	District	Area (acre)	Value (₹ crore)
1	Dalhousie Cantonment Board	Dalhousie	1017	2,058
2	Bakloh Cantonment Board	Chamba	741	1,499
3	Khasyol Cantonment Board	Khasyol	771	1,560
4	Amritsar Cantonment Board	Amritsar	741	1,499
5	Jalandar Cantonment Board	Jalandar	3758	7,604
6	Jutogh Cantonement Board	Jutogh	349	706
7	Subathu Cantonment Board	Himachal Pradesh	NA	NA
8	Ferozepur Cantonemnt Board	Ferozepur	4942	10,000
9	Kasauli Cantonment Board	Kasauli	643	1,301
10	Dagshai Cantonment Board	Solan	741	1,499
11	Chakrata Cantonment Board	Dehradun	3953	7,999
12	Landour Cantonement Board	Mussoorie	NA	NA
13	Dehradun Cantonment Board	Dehradun	5203	10,528
14	Ambala Canonment Board	Ambala	8154	16,499
15	Clement Town Cantonement Board	Dehradun	1729	3,499
16	Roorkee Cantonment Board	Roorkee	1176	2,380
17	Lansdowne Cantonment Board	Pauri Garhwal	1482	2,999
18	Ranikhet Cantonment Board	Ranikhet	5436	10,999
19	Almora Cantonment Board	Bhaisori	247	500
20	Nainithal Cantonment Board	Nainithal	741	1,499
21	Meerut Cantonment Board	Meerut	8816	17,839
22	New Delhi Cantonment Board	New Delhi	10625	20,27,974
23	Bareilly Cantonment Board	Bareilly	4270	8,640
24	Shahjahanpur Cantonment Board	Shahjahanpur	2407	4,870
25	Mathura Cantonment Board	Mathura	2649	5,360
26	Fatehgarh Cantonment Board	Farrukhabad	2769	5,603
27	Agra Cantonment Board	Agra	2857	5,781
28	Jalapahar Cantonment Board	Darjeeling	NA	NA
29	Lebong Cantonement Board	Darjeeling	NA	NA
30	Lucknow Cantonment Board	Lucknow	6918	13,998
31	Nasirabad Canonment Board	Nasirabad	5683	11,499
32	Ajmer Cantonment Board	Ajmer	NA	NA
33	Kanpur Cantonment Board	Kanpur	4200	8,498
34	Faizabad Cantonment Board	Faizabad	4841	9,795
35	Morar Cantonment Board	Gwalior	14579	29,500
36	Danapur Cantonment Board	Patna	848	1,716
37	Shillong Cantonement Board	Shillong	494	1,000
38	Allahabad Cantonment Board	Allahabad	4464	9,033
39	Jhansi Canonment Board	Jhansi	4695	9,500
40	Babina Cantonment Board	Babina	3212	6,499
41	Varanasi Canonment Board	Varanasi	1179	2,386
42	Secunderabad Canonment Board	Secunderabad	9926	20,085
43	Saugor Canonment Board	Saugor	4048	8,191
44	Ramgarh Cantonment Board	Ramgarh	9390	19,000
45	Jabalpur Cantonment Board	Jabalpur	4614	9,336
46	Ahmedabad Cantonment Board	Ahmedabad	NA	NA
47	Barrackpore Cantonment Board	Barrackpore	2621.7881	5,305
48	Mhow Cantonment Board	Indore	4695	9,500
49	Pachmarhi Cantonment Board	Hoshangabad	2471	5,000
50	Kamptee Cantonemnt Board	Nagpur	3706	7,499
51	Deolali Cantonment Board	Deolali	13096	26,499
52	Aurangabad Cantonment Board	Aurangabad	2584	5,229
53	Ahmednagar Cantonment Board	Ahmednagar	9711.241	19,650
54	Dehu Raod Cantonment Board	Pune	8895	17,998
55	Kirkee Cantonment Board	Kirkee	3275	6,627
56	Pune Canonment Board	Pune	3459	6,999
57	Belgaum Cantonment Board	Belgaum	1729	3,499
58	St.Thomas Mount Cantonment Board	Chennai	2918	50,845
59	Cannanore Cantonment Board	Cannaore	494	1,000
60	Wellington Canonment Board	Wellington	1647	3,333
*	Badamibagh Cantonment Board	Srinagar	1458	2,950
*	Jammu Cantonment Board	Jammu	NA	NA
Total			2,18,068 acre	₹ 24,92,664 crore

Millitary Stations Across India

Another 78,846 acres (sq. km) of land worth 1.59 lakh crore is inventoried as surplus by the Defence Management Estate across 38 military stations in the country as highlighted by CAG in its performance audit report. See Map 2 and its accompanying Table 2

Table 2: Millitary Stations

#	Millitry Station	Area (acre)	Value (₹ crore)
1	Dalhousie	170	344
2	Bukloh	232	470
3	Sujanpur	399	807
4	Bhadraya	461	933
5	Pathankot	762	1,542
6	Tibri (Gurdaspur)	156	316
7	New Amritsar Military Station	1839	3,720
8	Subhathu	115	233
9	Kasauli	364	736
10	Dagshai	243	492
11	Ambala	2076	4,200
12	Bhatinda	3926	7944
13	Kotdwar	270	546
14	Suratgarh	5131	10,382
15	Nainithal	537	1,086
16	Hisar	2424	4905
17	Bareily	582	1,177
18	Bikaner	788	1595
19	Shahjahanpur	755	1,527
20	Alwar	19	38
21	Lucknow	1043	2,110
22	Faizabad	2772	5,609
23	Kanpur	949	1,920
24	Allahabad	1016	2,056
25	Varanasi	183	370
26	Kota	2621	5303
27	Chambetia	1590	3,217
28	Aurangabad	980	1,983
29	Ahmednagar	32184	65,122
30	Dehu Road	4657	9,423
31	Kirkee	4557	9,220
32	Pune	523	1,058
33	Belgaum	1399	2,830
34	Avdi	178	360
35	Chennai	224	453
36	Bangalore	1272	2,574
37	Trichy	76	154
38	Mhau	1373	2,778
Total		78,846 acre	1,59,533 crore

Navy Nagar

Navy Nagar situated in the primmest urban space in Mumbai is another instance of valuable land parcel locked. The prime land is situated right next to the central business district and comprises of accommodating a handful of naval and military buildings. It stands as a stark example of a colonial hangover being established in the year 1796 to signify the might of the British troops, it's location serves little practical purpose.

Its value is anywhere above ₹ 3 lakh crore.

New Delhi Cantonment

Delhi Cantonment occupies 43 square kilometres in the heart of the metropolitan region. In 2001, time of the last census, Delhi Cantonment had a population of 124,000. Eleven hotels are located within the cantonment, as well as a variety of commercial establishments and upscale housing.

New Delhi Army Golf Course

The New Delhi cantonment board sprawls for an area of 10,625 acres within the national capital region. The army also owns an Army golf course, the size of 100 acres located at Dhaula Kuan, another prime urban land. The military has 97 luxury golf courses handled by a privately-run company, Army Zone Golf, covering about 8,000 acres of land. These gold courses are pointed out illegal by the CAG [1] citing “they should not have been built in the first place, as golf is not an authorised military activity”.


Some Defence lands are allocated to favoured parties under legacy leases at far below market rates. The Agra (Golf) Club occupies 17.68 acres for which it has paid the annual rent of Rs 58.92 per year since 1992. The racetrack in Pune Cantonment has been leased to Royal Western India Turf Club since 1902. The lease is for 65.15 acres, but over time the Club has expanded onto an additional 24.1 acres of Defence land without sanction

Lucknow Cantonment

Lucknow cantonment board occupies 6,918 acres of land worth Rs. 13,998 crore (conservative estimate using price of land @ Rs. 5,000 /sq. m). The distance between the cantonment and central business district (Hazratganj, Aminabad, and Chowk A) is 7 km. For a city sprawling across 2,528 sq. km. Such a prime urban land is locked and restricted from access to the city for commerce and housing.

Jaipur Military Station

Jaipur army station occupies prime urban space located from a distance of 9 km from the old walled city of Jaipur (also, its central business district). The military station includes a sprawling and restricted Golf course in the middle of the city. Refer to the map to identify the urban landlocked by the military station.



Most of such valuable land parcels are locked for the recreation and restricted usage of a handful army personnel. Another such instance of a major land parcel is that of Navy Nagar in Mumbai.