Legal basis
Section 4 of the RFCTLARR Act, 2013 empowers the Appropriate Government to conduct a preliminary investigation and appoint a Social Impact Assessment team when it considers land may be acquired for a public purpose. This is the formal entry point of the SIA process — not to be confused with the old Act's Section 4(1) urgency clause.
What Section 4 sets in motion
- Notification of SIA Team
Official order naming team members, their roles, and the project scope.
- Scope of study defined
Geographical area, villages, and project purpose tied to survey data.
- Public notice u/s 5
Published in panchayat offices, local newspapers, and government websites.
- Data collection begins
Household surveys, focus groups, and environmental baseline studies.
Section 4 notification contents
A valid notification typically includes: name of project and public purpose; description of land to be acquired; names of SIA team members; timeline for report submission; and instructions for affected persons to submit representations.
Frequently asked
Can acquisition proceed without Section 4?
For projects covered by LARR (except exempted categories under Section 105), SIA is mandatory. Skipping Section 4 exposes the project to legal challenge.
Who issues the notification?
The Appropriate Government — State Government for most projects, or Central Government for central projects — through the Revenue / Collectorate channel.
Section 4 digitised
- Auto-generated Section 4 orders from project master
- Workflow states: draft → approved → published
- Linked SIA team members & deadlines
- PDF export for gazette / office circulation