Basic infrastructure, linear one the foremost, has multi-dimensional linkages for growth and development. Being the major economic stimulant, its shortage is the commonest bottleneck for the developing economies to realize their output potential. However any infrastructural project needs large surface area which has to be annexed from the peasant community, tribal folklore, forest dwellers, and other weak and vulnerable groups. Land expropriation for project affected persons (PAPs), on the other hand, results into social-cultural and ecological disarticulation, psychological setback and economic collapse brought about by meltdown of productive capital base. Characteristically, linear projects affect a part of total land-holdings of any affected ‘revenue settlement’ (i.e. a Revenue village) and generate inequity oriented or aggravating outcome with respect to affected and non-affected people, which the compensation fails to replenish for. This article makes deductive interpretation of equity impact of land acquisition in a given revenue settlement, and draws thereupon a theoretical argument for paradigmatic change in land acquisition process, for linear projects like highways, from an ‘imposed extortion’ to a ‘participatory contribution and redistribution’.