The Directorate General Defence Estates is responsible for maintaining land records regarding ownership/title of defence land, defence of all title suits pertaining to defence lands, acquisition, hiring or requisitioning of land for the Ministry of Defence through the State Govt., disposal of trees and other usufructs and land administration of notified Cantonments. These functions are carried out through the concerned Directorates, Defence Estates Officers and Chief Executive Officers in the Cantonment Boards. The Lands Division in the Directorate General functions as a nodal authority on rendering advice on land matters concerning the Ministry of Defence and superintends the functioning of Defence Estate Offices across the country.
Functions and duties
DGDE helps frame policies and instructions on all land matters pertaining to the defence services. The primary functions and duties of the Defence Estate Officers working under the guidance of the Lands Division of the DGDE are:
- To function as the Custodian of Defence Land and Land Records
- Management and preservation of Land Records
- Defence of title suits in Courts
- Change in management and reclassification of land
- Examination of proposals for utilising defence land
- Mutation of Old grant / lease-hold properties
- Renewal of Leases/Licences
- Grant of fresh leases
- Permission for sanction of building plans on lease-hold properties
- Resumption of certain class of defence lands with or without buildings situated in Cantonments
- Conversion of old grant / lease-hold properties situated in Civil area/Bazar area of Cantt. into freehold.
- Transfer/Disposal of surplus Camping Grounds/Abandoned Air Fields.
- Management of revenue from Shopping Complexes on Defence Lands
- Disposal of usufructs on Defence land
- Grant of temporary license for organizing exhibition, etc. on vacant defence land
- Prevention, detection and removal of encroachments
- Licensing of sites for advertisement hoardings on defence lands
