Telecom Right of Way Rules 2024: a property owner's rights

If a telecom company wants to lay a cable or build a tower on or across your property, it must follow a defined permission process and pay you compensation under the Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules, 2024. These rules came into force on 1 January 2025 under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and replaced the older 2016 right-of-way rules. As the owner, you are part of the process; infrastructure cannot simply appear on your land without consent and a fair deal.

On your land already without permission? Skip to “If work starts without consent”.

The rules govern how a telecom or infrastructure provider installs overground and underground telecom infrastructure such as cables, poles, and mobile towers on public and private property. They set out the application procedure, the role of the local authority, timelines for decisions, compensation, and how disputes are handled. The aim is a predictable, non-arbitrary process that protects both connectivity and your property rights.

• Consent and process. A provider must apply through the proper channel and obtain permission; it cannot install on your land arbitrarily.
• Compensation. You are entitled to compensation and restoration for use of and damage to your property, as provided under the rules.
• Restoration. The provider must restore your property to its earlier condition after laying or repairing infrastructure.
• A grievance path. Disputes over permission, compensation, or damage have a defined resolution route, not a dead end.

1. Ask for the application and approval. Confirm the provider has applied to the competent authority under the 2024 rules.
2. Get the terms in writing. Note what will be installed, where, for how long, and the compensation offered.
3. Negotiate compensation and restoration. Agree the amount and a promise to restore your land afterwards, in writing.
4. Keep records. Photograph the site before and after, and keep all letters and the agreement.

1. Document it immediately. Photograph the installation and note the date and the company involved.
2. Write to the provider and the local authority. Demand the basis of the work and the permission obtained under the 2024 rules.
3. Escalate to the dispute resolution route. Use the grievance mechanism the rules provide; approach the designated authority.
4. Seek a public record by RTI. Ask the municipal or local body for the permission file and any approval granted for work on your property.

Ramesh owns a plot on the edge of a town in Maharashtra. A contractor begins digging a trench across his boundary to lay an optic-fibre cable. Ramesh asks for the approval, finds none was shown to him, and writes to the local authority citing the Right of Way Rules, 2024. He files an RTI for the permission file. The provider then regularises the work, agrees compensation, and restores his boundary wall.

No. Under the Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules, 2024, a provider must apply through the proper process and obtain permission. You are entitled to be part of the arrangement and to compensation. Installation without due process can be challenged through the grievance route.

Yes. The rules provide for compensation for the use of and damage to your property, and for restoration to the earlier condition. Agree the amount and restoration terms in writing before work begins, and keep all records.

The Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules, 2024, notified on 17 September 2024 and in force from 1 January 2025, under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. They replaced the Indian Telegraph Right of Way Rules, 2016.

Document the damage with photographs and dates. Write to the provider demanding restoration and compensation as the rules require. If unresolved, use the dispute resolution route under the rules and approach the designated authority.

You can negotiate terms and object through the process, but the rules also balance public interest in connectivity. The right path is to insist on due process, fair compensation, and restoration, and to escalate disputes rather than resort to self-help.

You can file an RTI with the local authority for the permission application, any approval granted, and the conditions imposed for work on or near your property. This reveals whether due process was followed and strengthens your case.

• Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules, 2024, G.S.R. 576(E) dated 17 September 2024, in force 1 January 2025, under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.
• Department of Telecommunications, dot.gov.in.

• Easement right of way: claiming access over property
• How to file a TRAI telecom complaint
• SIM swap fraud: holding the telecom accountable
• The RTI Playbook for prising approval files out of local bodies.

To get the permission file, use the AI RTI Drafter and track the reply with the Timeline Tracker. See the RTI Act, 2005.