Families Displaced by Vamsadhara Project in AP Demand Compensation under LARR Act

Reported by

Rahul Maganti

Legal Data by

Edited by

Updated by

Published on

January 25, 2017

January 25, 2017

Updated on

January 25, 2017

Location of Conflict

Gotta

LN Peta and Hiramandalam

Srikakulam

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Irrigation Dam

(

)

People Affected by Conflict

22027

Households Affected by Conflict

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

4332

ha

Starting Year

2005

State

Andhra Pradesh

Sector

Infrastructure
Summary
Fact Sheet
Legal Data
Additional
Information
Resources
Images
Videos

The Andhra Pradesh government proposed the Vamsadhara Project in 1970 in Gotta village in Hiramandalam mandal, Srikakulam district. The project was initially taken up in two stages. Stage 1 was to create a barrage (lowhead diversion dam) and the Left main canal to irrigate 398 villages. This was completed by 1977. Stage 2 of the project was intended to create an irrigation potential of 1.07 lakh acres. Later, the government decided to take up Stage 2 in two phases after a delay in obtaining land from Odisha. Work for the first phase began in 2002 and work was almost completed by 2019. The second phase began in 2005 and the same year, the project received environment clearance. According to the Environment Clearance Report, 34 villages will be affected by the project, which will require 4,332 hectares of land.
About 6,840 families were offered a compensation of INR 1.30 lakh per acre for the second phase of Stage 2. But by the time they received the money, the market price of land had increased. The affected families could not buy alternate land with the compensation, and many turned to daily wage labour to make ends meet. In 2017, a crowd of over 5,000 people from the affected villages protested at the site of the second phase of Stage 2 of the project. The protesters turned violent, setting fire to official vehicles and attacking the office of the construction company. They demanded revised compensation as per the Land Acquisition Act, 2013. Following the protests, former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu assured the people that "there is no reason to panic as land would not be acquired forcibly and adequate compensation would be paid as per the 2013 Land Acquisition rules". The government then appointed 19 special teams to listen to the grievances of the displaced people. The state released an extra INR 193 crore, in addition to the INR 420 crore released earlier. The government also offered INR 5 lakh to eligible youths under the Youth Package. At the same time, the government deployed some 2,000 personnel to guard the reservoir area. Reports suggest that protests have died down in Andhra Pradesh since 2017. In September 2019, the Vamsadhara Water Dispute Tribunal directed the government to implement its order, issued on April 5 that year, whereby it has asked the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha governments to carry out a joint survey for identifying 106 acres of land for the construction of the second phase of Stage 2.

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for compensation

Demand for promised compensation

Demand for rehabilitation

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Both

Type of Common Land

Non-Forest (Grazing Land), Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)

Total investment involved (in Crores):

₹

933.99

Type of investment:

Cost of Project

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict

Land Acquisition Laws, Central/State Government Policy

Legislations/Policies Involved

Land Acquisition Act, 1894
Section 23(1) [While determining the amount of compensation, the Collector shall consider the market value of the land as on the date of publication of notice for acquisition]; Section 11A [The Collector shall make an award of compensation within a period of 2 years from the date of declaration of the intent to acquire land]; Section 34 [When the compensation amount has not been paid before taking possession of the land, the Collector shall pay interest at the rate of 9% from the time of taking possession till the compensation has been paid];
Government of Andhra Pradesh Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy, 2005
Clause 5.1 [The Appropriate Government shall publish a notification containing the number of families likely to be displaced from each village]; Clause 6.2(a) [Every Project Displaced Family who held more than 5 cents of land shall be allotted a house in the resettlement zone, in addition to compensation]
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Section 24(2) [If the Appropriate Government so chooses, it may initiate land acquisition process afresh if compensation awarded under the 1894 Act made five years prior to the commencement of the new Act has not been paid]
Andhra Pradesh Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Rules, 2014
Rule 19 [A preliminary notification declaring the intent of the Government to acquire land shall be published after the conclusion of a Social Impact Assessment study and after obtaining the consent of the affected persons or the Gram Sabha]; Rule 21 [Any objections to the acquisition of land shall be made to the Collector, who shall submit a report with his recommendations on the objections to the District Collector]

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Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute

What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?

What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?

Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:

Controversial land acquisition by the government

Delay in compensation

Legal Status:

Out of Court

Status of Case In Court

Whether any adjudicatory body was approached

Yes

Name of the adjudicatory body

Name(s) of the Court(s)

Case Number

Main Reasoning/Decision of court

Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:

Arrest/detention/imprisonment

Whether criminal law was used against protestors:

Yes

Reported Details of the Violation:

In 2017, a massive crowd of over 5,000 villagers from the affected villages had staged a protest at the project site, setting fire to vehicles belonging to Soma Construction Company. Around 102 protesters were charged with criminal cases.

Date of Violation

Location of Violation

Nature of Protest

Blockades

Protests/marches

Advocacy (for inclusion in courts)

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Government of Andhra Pradesh

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Communist Party of India (Marxist)

Resources Related to Conflict

  • News Articles Related to the Conflict:
  • Documents Related to the Conflict:
  • Links Related to the Conflict:

Image Credit:  

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Reviewed By

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Updated By

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