Crucial Preliminary Notification Delayed Due to Administrative Reasons
The Himachal Pradesh government has officially extended the deadline for the preliminary land acquisition notification regarding the massive expansion of the Gaggal Airport in District Kangra. This extension grants the state an additional twenty-four months to issue the crucial Section 11 notification under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (RFCTLARR Act).
The Administrative Extension and New Deadline
In a notification issued by the Tourism & Civil Aviation Department on October 15, 2025, the Governor of Himachal Pradesh invoked powers conferred under Section 14 of the RFCTLARR Act to grant the extension. The original preliminary notification under Section 11 was required to be issued within twelve months of the appraisal of the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) report.
Due to what the government cited as “unavoidable administrative reasons,” this stipulated period was missed. The extension now pushes the final deadline for the Section 11 notification to June 3, 2026.
The Legal Basis: Section 14 of the RFCTLARR Act
The RFCTLARR Act mandates a swift process for land acquisition proceedings following the Social Impact Assessment. Specifically, Section 14 dictates that if a preliminary notification (Section 11) is not issued within twelve months of the expert group appraising the SIA report, the SIA report shall be deemed to have lapsed.
However, the same section grants the appropriate Government the power to extend this period by a further twenty-four months if, in its opinion, circumstances exist justifying the delay. The Himachal Pradesh government has utilized this provision to keep the acquisition process alive.
Scope of the Gaggal Airport Expansion Project
The expansion project for Gaggal Airport is a significant undertaking, requiring a substantial amount of land across two Tehsils of District Kangra.
Land Requirement and Affected Areas
The initial Social Impact Assessment Report, submitted by the expert group on June 5, 2023, identified a requirement of 122-54-86 hectares of land for the expansion. This land spans 14 villages in total, including 10 villages from Tehsil Kangra and 4 villages from Tehsil Shahpur.
In addition to the land identified in the initial SIA, the notification mentions an additional requirement of 26-08-49 hectares of Government Land, further highlighting the scale of the proposed development.
The Next Steps: Preparing for Section 11 Notification
The extension ensures that the preliminary work done, including the comprehensive Social Impact Assessment, remains valid. The government must now utilize the next two years to resolve the administrative hurdles and prepare for the issuance of the preliminary notification under Section 11.
The issuance of the Section 11 notification is the formal legal commencement of the land acquisition process, marking a critical step toward realizing the much-anticipated expansion of Gaggal Airport, which is vital for boosting tourism and civil aviation in the region. The notification was issued by order of Pr. Secretary (Tourism & CA), Devesh Kumar.