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The data by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) shows that nearly 70 per cent of the land required for four-laning NH31D is already available, but because of land problems, 327 hectares has not been acquired yet. NHAI has given the data to the Union Ministry of Economic Affairs for action. The total land required to make the highway four-lane is 1,072 hectares (2,648 acres), NHAI said.

The NHAI has also mentioned that 446 hectares (1,102 acres) or 42 per cent of the total required land was already available with the government. Of the remaining 626 hectares (1,546 acres), notification for acquisition of land has been made for 298.70 hectares (738 acres) under the National Highway Act, 1956. This notification is the second step to land acquisition after the initial notification inviting objections.

In case no land holder objects to the first notification in 21 days of its release, the second notification is issued. According to the NHAI’s data, around 70 per cent of the land is either with the government or ready to be acquired. But for around 327 hectares (808 acres), spread across Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar, the NHAI has run into a land acquisition wall.

The highway authority has said the district administration has not been pro-active on acquiring land for the project. The NH31D connects Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts with the rest of the country. The highway links the region with Bhutan and Bangladesh also. The total length of NH31D is around 155 km and it starts from Ghoshpukur near Siliguri and ends at Salsalabari along the Assam border.