Issues relating to right-of-way (RoW) are impeding the progress of 14 critical interstate transmission system (ISTS) projects, it was recently informed in Parliament.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Shripad Naik, Minister of State for Power, said that critical ISTS projects have been affected by RoW challenges, primarily arising out of demand for higher compensation compared to state government-determined rates. Delay in securing forest clearances is also delaying these transmission projects, Naik said.
Revised guidelines
In June 2024, Ministry of Power revised the guidelines for payment of RoW compensation for laying transmission lines. As per these guidelines, land rate has been linked to market rate. Further, compensation amounts for the tower base area and RoW corridor have been increased to 200 per cent and 30 per cent of the land value respectively, the minister informed. (Read T&D India’s story dated June 20, 2024)
Addressing RoW challenges
To address RoW challenges, route alignment before approval of projects is being validated on PM Gati Shakti portal. This helps in optimising the route and corridor widths particularly in forest and urban areas. Further, Ministry of Power is actively utilizing the Project Monitoring Group (PMG) under DPIIT for monitoring and resolving bottlenecks in transmission projects. The Ministry is closely coordinating with transmission service providers (TSPs), state governments and Central ministries/ departments to expedite resolution, Naik said in the reply.
Nearly 2,000 km of lines affected
The information tabled in Parliament reveals that the 14 ISTS projects besieged by RoW challenges aggregate around 1,972 km (running km and not circuit km) and have an almost pan-India presence cover states like Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
While eight of these 14 projects belong to Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL), the remaining are owned by private developers like Adani Energy Solutions Ltd and Resonia (formerly Sterlite Power).
The biggest project of PGCIL, affected by RoW impediments, is the 765kV Bhadla-II to Sikar-II transmission line, of about 300 km, in Rajasthan.
According to official information independently available, the Bhadla-II to Sikar-II line is part of an ISTS-TBCB project housed under “Powergrid Bhadla Sikar Transmission Ltd,” a wholly-owned subsidiary of PGCIL.
This project was originally scheduled to commission by September 2024 but is now expected to do so only by May 2025.
As of February 28, 2025, out of the total 816 transmission tower locations, the project was contending with RoW constraints involving 73, mainly in the Sikar district of Rajasthan.
Adani Energy Solutions Ltd (AESL) is also contending with serious RoW problems with its ISTS-TBCB project incorporated under “WRSR Power Transmission Ltd.” A key element of this project – a 765kV line running 318 km from Narendra New (GIS) to Pune (GIS) — was scheduled to commission by September 2024. However, it is now estimated that the line, facing RoW problems in over 220 locations across Maharashtra and Karnataka, will commission only by September 2025.
Featured photograph is for representation only
