NHAI begins land acquisition for Moradabad-Aligarh expressway, 21 villages to get compensation

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has initiated land acquisition for the new Moradabad-Aligarh access-controlled highway, targeting 189 hectares across 21 villages in two tehsils of Moradabad district. A proposal has been sent to the Special Land Acquisition Officer, with compensation to be paid directly to farmers' bank accounts. The acquisition process will begin with a Section 3-A notification, after which objections will be solicited and resolved. NHAI aims to declare the award and disburse compensation within three months, bypassing traditional deed registration as land will automatically become highway property. The affected villages include four in Moradabad Sadar tehsil and 17 in Bilari tehsil, where land transactions have been halted. The 148.5-kilometer highway will connect from near a CNG pump on the Delhi-Lucknow highway in Moradabad to the Aligarh ring road, passing through Kundarki, Sambhal, and Bulandshahr. It will be fully access-controlled, prohibiting entry from adjacent properties and banning two-wheelers and three-wheelers for safety, significantly reducing travel time between the two cities.