Karnataka
Edenahalli, Halepalya, Kanchaghatta, Bommalapura, Madihalli, Geddalihalli villages
,
Tiptur tehsil
,
Tumkur
Published :
Jun 2020
|
Updated :
Farmers in Karnataka's Tumkur Demand Water in Exchange for Land for Yettinahole Project
Reported by
Tamanna Naseer
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Edited by
Anupa Kujur
Households affected
437
People affected
Year started
160
Land area affected
Households affected
437
People Affected
Year started
160
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Water Management
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Water Management
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

Seven droughtstricken villages in Tumkur districts Tiptur tehsil have protested against the acquisition of land for the Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project as government officials and politicians have not accepted their demand of receiving 1.5 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) water from the project in exchange for their land and have neither clarified the amount of compensation that they will receive for the same. The project is currently in the survey stage in Tiptur, but farmers are already boycotting such procedures. Land is proposed to be acquired from Bommalapura, Madihalli, Geddalahalli, Edenahalli, Halepalya and Kanchaghatta villages in Tiptur, which is grappling with depleting groundwater levels, but the farmers from these villages will be unable to access any water from the project. Yettinahole is a tributary of the Netravati river in Dakshin Kannada district. The government plans to divert 24 TMC, or 672 billion litres, of the river water to provide drinking water to the droughtprone districts of Kolar, Bengaluru Rural, Chikkaballapura, Hassan and Tumkur through pipeline and canals. If executed, the project will submerge many villages, affecting farmlands and displacing families. Even fisherfolk are expected to be affected due to the reduced water flow in catchment areas of the stream. According to activists, the 91 families in Tiptur from whom land will be acquired fear that they may not be compensated** **as per the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013, because government officials have not yet announced the compensation amount. They have demanded that the government lay out the details of the compensation before they proceed with the survey. They have also accused the government of trying to rush through the work without discussing the rehabilitation and resettlement processes. They told LCW that there is an attempt to lure villagers by paying a small amount and getting tripartite agreements signed among three parties farmers, contractors doing the civil work and Special Land Acquisition Officer. On May 24, 2019, the National Green Tribunal gave the green signal to the project. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change also approved the project following a spot inspection carried out in December 2015. Local organisations, such as Yettinahole Horata Samiti, have held several meetings with the affected farmers in Tiptur and tried to educate them about the land acquisition law. The Samiti, along with the Yettinahole Protection Committee and others, have also organised several demonstrations in Tiptur and blocked roads as a form of protest. On June 10, 2019, activists were detained for a few hours for protesting along with some 1,000 farmers in front of the Tiptur Municipal Council office.   On December 24, the Yettinahole Horata Samiti submitted a memorandum to the Tiptur Assistant Commissioner underlining their demands, which included fixing of compensation amount before the start of work, adequate compensation to land owners under the LARR Act and cancellation of surveys done in the absence of land owners. The project had received the Cabinet's approval in 2012 and reports suggest that it is likely to miss the June 2020 deadline of completion of the first phase by at least a year due to delays in land acquisition. 

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

No items found.

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for water in exchange of land, demand for compensation amount to be determined and notified prior to acquisition

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Private

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?

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):

25000

Type of investment:

Revised Investment

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

No

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

4
Additional Information

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Visvesvaraya Jala Nigam Limited

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Yes

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:

5
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?

Legal Supporting Documents

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Author
Reported by
Tamanna Naseer

Tamanna is a Bengaluru-based journalist who pens features and reports on movies, politics and human interest issues. She has previously worked with News Central24x7, Business Standard and The Statesman.

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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

No items found.

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

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?

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

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