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.
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Philippines all have found that more than 90% of total public land identified as “surplus” and monetized has come from outdated military bases. [1]
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.
Contents
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.
| # | 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
[3]
| # | 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 | |
Lucknow Cantonment
Lucknow cantonment board occupies 6,918 acre 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 Millitary 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 millitary station includes a sprawling and restricted Golf course in the middle of the city. Refer to the map to identify the urban land locked by the military station.
New Delhi Army Golf Course
The New Dlehi 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 acre located at Dhaula Kuan, another prime urban land.
The military has 97 luxury golf courses [Cite : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12883172] handled by a privately-run company, Army Zone Golf, covering about 8,000 acre 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”.
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.
