An independent committee reported to the Supreme Court that over 10,800 acres of defence land across the country remain under illegal occupation despite retrieval efforts.
Defence services retrieved 2,242 acres between January 2015 and July 2025, but operational impediments and variable local administrative support continue to hinder eviction proceedings.
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Maharashtra account for nearly 50% of the total encroachments, prompting calls for a time-bound Centre-state recovery mechanism.