JOIN THE LCW
COMMUNITY

Exclusive monthly policy briefs, stories from the ground, quarterly analytics report, curated expert talks, merchandise and much more. Support our work!

Sign up today

AP Farmers Unhappy About Land Acquisition for Vijaywada Airport Expansion, Demand Resettlement

Reported by

Rahul Maganti

Legal Review by

Edited by

Updated by

Published on

October 19, 2016

March 11, 2023

Edited on

October 19, 2016

State

Andhra Pradesh

Sector

Infrastructure

People Affected by Conflict

336

Households Affected by Conflict

70

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

187

ha

Starting Year

2016

Location of Conflict

Gannavaram

Krishna

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Airport

Land Conflict Summary

With the capital city for Andhra Pradesh being developed around Vijayawada, the existing airport was sought to be expanded. The “expansion project” for Vijayawada airport included runway expansion and construction of new terminal buildings as per the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the state government.
While initial surveys indicated that 491.92 acres of land were needed to be acquired for the runway expansion, the government ordered the land pooling scheme for the remaining 687 acres as per the environment clearance report. However, the government later decided to take over nearly 1,230 acres of land under the land pooling scheme.
Alongside, the AAI sought to obtain environmental clearance for the expansion of Runway 26, which required the diversion of water from the Eluru canal. The Terms of Reference (TOR) was granted for 148 acres, but eventually the environmental clearance was granted for 698 acres. After the TOR noted that the Eluru canal cuts through the expansion site, the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report, on which the environment clearance was based, noted that the Eluru canal will not be diverted during the phase of runway expansion. The EIA report also stated that the work does not involve any “major displacement of people”.
In relation to the acquisition proceedings themselves, people have protested at every step and delayed the works to get their demands met. The farmers are unhappy that the government had not taken their views into consideration when it decided to acquire land under the land pooling scheme and not the LARR, 2013, and that clearances were being obtained without prior hearing. They demanded that the matter be settled on priority.
In January 2019, the farmers complained that their plots, which are far away from the project site, had also been damaged. In August, farmers who had given about 830 acres of land were still awaiting their annuity payments promised to them under the Land Pooling Scheme. They also demanded that the plots allotted to them be developed with necessary infrastructure, as promised while acquiring their lands, and handed over to them at the earliest. 
“The runway works are almost complete, and the other works have reached a final stage. But we still don’t know when we will get the plots. The government should start developing the plots that have been registered in our names and hand them over to us,” the farmers said.

Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand for promised compensation

Demand for promised land

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Against giving their land under Land Pooling Scheme

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Private

Type of Common Land

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)

Status of Project

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

150

Type of investment:

Year of Estimation

2007

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

No

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

Legal Data

Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict

Land Acquisition Laws, Other

Legislations/Policies Involved

Andhra Pradesh Metropolitan Region and Urban Development Authorities Act, 2016
Section 26 (definition of a Land Pooling Scheme), Section 19(e) [scheme must contain details of reconstituted plots], Section 22(5)(a) [development scheme may contain proposal for reconstituted plots]
Andhra Pradesh Capital City Land Pooling Scheme (Formulation and Implementation) Rules, 2015
Rule 5 and Schedule 1 [Authority may develop land pooling scheme in accordance with Section 43 notification, as per process in Schedule I]
Airports Authority of India Act, 1994
Section 19 [Land deemed to be necessary for AAI's functions may be acquired under Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and deemed to be for public purpose]
  1. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  2. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  3. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  4. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  5. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  6. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  7. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

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

Violation of free prior informed consent

Non-payment of compensation/promised compensation

Non-rehabilitation of displaced people

Delay in allottment and possession of land/property

Legal Status:

In Court

Status of Case In Court

Pending

Whether any adjudicatory body was approached

Name of the adjudicatory body

Name(s) of the Court(s)

High Court of Andhra Pradesh

Case Number

Writ Petition No. 21679/2020

Main Reasoning/Decision of court

The case is currently pending before the High Court, and notice has been issued to Respondents regarding the failure to pay compensation.

Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:

No items found.

Whether criminal law was used against protestors:

Reported Details of the Violation:

Date of Violation

Location of Violation

Additional Information

Nature of Protest

Protests/marches

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Government of Andhra Pradesh

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Airports Authority of India

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:

YSR Congress Party, Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India

Information on the use of criminal law

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Resources

Resources Related to Conflict

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

Images

Image Credit:  

Image Credit:  

Video

With the capital city for Andhra Pradesh being developed around Vijayawada, the existing airport was sought to be expanded. The “expansion project” for Vijayawada airport included runway expansion and construction of new terminal buildings as per the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the state government.
While initial surveys indicated that 491.92 acres of land were needed to be acquired for the runway expansion, the government ordered the land pooling scheme for the remaining 687 acres as per the environment clearance report. However, the government later decided to take over nearly 1,230 acres of land under the land pooling scheme.
Alongside, the AAI sought to obtain environmental clearance for the expansion of Runway 26, which required the diversion of water from the Eluru canal. The Terms of Reference (TOR) was granted for 148 acres, but eventually the environmental clearance was granted for 698 acres. After the TOR noted that the Eluru canal cuts through the expansion site, the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report, on which the environment clearance was based, noted that the Eluru canal will not be diverted during the phase of runway expansion. The EIA report also stated that the work does not involve any “major displacement of people”.
In relation to the acquisition proceedings themselves, people have protested at every step and delayed the works to get their demands met. The farmers are unhappy that the government had not taken their views into consideration when it decided to acquire land under the land pooling scheme and not the LARR, 2013, and that clearances were being obtained without prior hearing. They demanded that the matter be settled on priority.
In January 2019, the farmers complained that their plots, which are far away from the project site, had also been damaged. In August, farmers who had given about 830 acres of land were still awaiting their annuity payments promised to them under the Land Pooling Scheme. They also demanded that the plots allotted to them be developed with necessary infrastructure, as promised while acquiring their lands, and handed over to them at the earliest. 
“The runway works are almost complete, and the other works have reached a final stage. But we still don’t know when we will get the plots. The government should start developing the plots that have been registered in our names and hand them over to us,” the farmers said.

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand for promised compensation

Demand for promised land

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Against giving their land under Land Pooling Scheme

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Private

Type of Common Land

Total investment involved (in Crores):

150

Type of investment:

Year of Estimation

2007

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

No

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict

Land Acquisition Laws, Other

Legislations/Policies Involved

Andhra Pradesh Metropolitan Region and Urban Development Authorities Act, 2016
Section 26 (definition of a Land Pooling Scheme), Section 19(e) [scheme must contain details of reconstituted plots], Section 22(5)(a) [development scheme may contain proposal for reconstituted plots]
Andhra Pradesh Capital City Land Pooling Scheme (Formulation and Implementation) Rules, 2015
Rule 5 and Schedule 1 [Authority may develop land pooling scheme in accordance with Section 43 notification, as per process in Schedule I]
Airports Authority of India Act, 1994
Section 19 [Land deemed to be necessary for AAI's functions may be acquired under Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and deemed to be for public purpose]
  1. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  2. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  3. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  4. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  5. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  6. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  7. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

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

Violation of free prior informed consent

Non-payment of compensation/promised compensation

Non-rehabilitation of displaced people

Delay in allottment and possession of land/property

Legal Status:

In Court

Status of Case In Court

Pending

Whether any adjudicatory body was approached

Name of the adjudicatory body

Name(s) of the Court(s)

High Court of Andhra Pradesh

Case Number

Writ Petition No. 21679/2020

Main Reasoning/Decision of court

The case is currently pending before the High Court, and notice has been issued to Respondents regarding the failure to pay compensation.

Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:

No items found.

Whether criminal law was used against protestors:

Reported Details of the Violation:

Date of Violation

Location of Violation

Nature of Protest

Protests/marches

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Government of Andhra Pradesh

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Airports Authority of India

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:

YSR Congress Party, Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India

Resources Related to Conflict

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

Image Credit:  

Image Credit:  

Documented By

Text Link

Reviewed By

Text Link

Updated By

Text Link

Edited By

Text LinkLand Conflict Watch

Other Land Conflicts in Andhra Pradesh

cross
Not a member yet?
Sign up now