NATIONAL, 10h SEPTEMBER, 2022 (GPN): Datta Infra Founded by Adv. Varchasvi Gagal, is one of the emerging Land Aggregator and Land Development players in India catering to the country’s top renewable corporates. It was founded in 1987 as an accounting and legal consulting firm and operated in the said space until 2019. From 2020 onwards, Adv. Varchasvi Gagal took over the reins of the company and aimed to provide an organized and sustainable solution for land consolidation to the renewable energy players in the market.

The company has huge land bank wth acquisitions over 7,000 acres of land which houses solar power projects of 1.4 GW. Datta Infra and other parcels that is duly screened and readily available in the market.

Datta Infra currently has its operations in the states of Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Rajasthan.

Under strong Leadership of Varchasvi Gagal, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Datta Infra The company, will soon release its own software that will make the process of land consolidation completely transparent. This software will give a one-stop view of the progress of acquisition on site along with all legal documentation related to every survey number and license secured for the project. The CEO and MD Datta Infra talks about the Vision and Plans of the Company in a candid interview with Global Prime News.

• What is Datta Infra? Elaborate about the company’s key verticals.

Datta Infra is one of the emerging Land aggregator and Land development players in India catering to the country’s top renewable corporates. It works on connectivity approvals,Transmission and Distribution clearances from related organizations as a complete package. It provides environmental and legal clearances as per State and Centre Government policies, along with the necessary permissions as per local laws impacting the site. Additionally, Datta Infra can also procure for its clients’ land records of thirty years along with agricultural, revenue, and title searches, for lands on sale. It also has a deep insight into the land allotment laws of multiple states.

• A brief profile of the founder and his role in the Company

Varchasvi Gagal is the Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of Datta Infra, a unit of Datta Business Consultants Pvt. Ltd., one of the leading Land Aggregator and Land Development players in India that caters to the country’s top renewable corporates. Datta Infra aims to provide an organized and sustainable solution for land consolidation to the renewable energy players in the market. The company also houses a strong legal team that specializes in Revenue and Real Estate laws. 

With his legal expertise, Varchasvi has made pivotal contributions to the development of large-scale solar and wind projects of Datta Infra. He has also played a significant role in bringing top-notch clientele to the company including Tata Power, and catering to major Government PSUs including Kerela State Electricity Board and NTPC. Additionally, he has spearheaded some crucial projects of the company ranging from land consolidation to providing transmission and connectivity solutions to its clients.

Before taking over the reins of Datta Infra, Varchasvi founded India’s first ‘do-it-yourself’ document drafting platform, Legal Spell, with a vision to revolutionize the way document drafting is done in India. Owing to his entrepreneurial zest, he is also an avid supporter and cheerleader of India’s Start-up ecosystem and has invested in several enterprises across the logistics and food & beverage sectors, in a personal capacity.

Varchasvi completed his Graduation in Bachelor of Legislative Law from O.P. Jindal Global University in 2016. After witnessing a diverse range of legal cultures during an Exchange Program at the University of Baltimore School of Law, he conducted extensive research on the use of LegalTech to transform Indian legal drafting methods. He also worked at his college’s Legal Clinic to further strengthen his understanding of the need for documentation among people, at the grassroots level. 

• Which are the states that Datta Infra currently has operations in? 

Datta Infra currently has its operations in the states of Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Rajasthan

• Can you briefly talk about the obstacles faced by the land aggregators while acquiring land?

Acquiring large tracts of land for solar power projects is a complex process. The presence of state land-ceiling laws across rural areas makes it even more complicated. Obtaining environmental clearance from local authorities often creates delays. There are numerous legalities associated with the procurement of a land parcel for a solar plant. In India, there are few states that would also require the permission of local village elected bodies i.e,  Panchayats. Despite the approval from multiple other state government agencies, it’s mandatory to get permission from village panchayats and that is where the process becomes tedious for people. Land seekers have to go through multiple legal aspects before acquiring land for solar projects. Even the unsystematic maintenance of land records creates an obstruction in the land acquisition process. In case the land revenue records are not maintained properly, it creates a challenge in the identification of the right owners of the land consequently leading to a delay in renewable energy projects.

• Can you describe the entire process of land acquisition?

Datta Infra provides an organized and sustainable solution for land consolidation to the renewable energy players in the market. We identify locations close to state substations or electricity grid substations in accordance with the project’s specifications. Once the land has been chosen, the company obtains the necessary environmental and legal permits. The land acquisition procedure begins with a thorough examination of how much solar power evacuation could be performed in addition to a cost estimate for a specific project. We take care of the land consolidation portion, which is completed and given to the principal developer/investor and completely gated with the right ROW of the transmission line. A transmission line is also deployed by Datta Infra after all clearances have been assessed.-Ends