Defence

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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Philippines all have found that more than 90% of total public land identified as “surplus” and monetized has come from outdated military bases. [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.


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.

Map 1



[2] 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 [3]

Map 2


[4] 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.

Map 3


Its value is anywhere above ₹ 3 lakh crore.[5]

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 [6] 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”.
Delhi Army Golf Course

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.

Lucknow Cantonment Board

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.

Jaipur Army 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.

References

  1. Peterson, George E. 2009. Unlocking Land Values to Finance Urban Infrastructure. World Bank and PPIAF
  2. Various Cantonment Board websites, Military Cantonnments across India
  3. Performance Audit Report on Defence Estate Management “CAG”
  4. Defence Estate Management Surplus Land "CAG"
  5. Calculation: Area x Price = 60,00,000 sq. metre (6 sq.km) x ₹ 5,00,000 /sq.metre = 3,00,000 crore
  6. "BBC"