Farmers in Radhanesada village near the India-Pakistan border in Gujarat's Vav taluka protested against the land acquisition for 700+ MW Radhanesda ultra mega solar park. About 68 hectares of 'gauchar' land and 30 acres of private land had been acquired for the project.
The affected farmers, whose lands were taken over by the company, submitted a petition to Vav Mamlatdar, demanding a halt to the company's activities. They warned that if their grievances were not addressed within seven days, they would be forced to kill themselves in protest. Radhanesada village, with a population of around two thousand, is predominantly inhabited by Rabari, Koli, and Thakor communities.
The then MLA Ganiben Thakor highlighted that the majority of the farmers were against the project, accusing the government of corruption and mismanagement. She stressed that the land, taken at a low price, was essential for the villagers' daily bread and the local economy. The MLA also submitted a petition to the District Collector at Palanpur, warning of severe agitation if the government did not revoke the land allocation.
The petition criticised the government for allocating 400 acres, including 67 hectares of Gauchar land, to a private company, arguing it endangered livestock and contradicted efforts to protect community grazing lands.
Following protests, the government started the re-survey procedure. Karsanbhai Rajput, Sarpanch of Radhanesda group panchayat was quoted as saying that the government will return 68 hectare land. The Environment and Social Impact Assessment report of July 2020 mentioned that "the land parcel, originally owned by the government, has been handed over to the Radhanesda Gram Panchayat (GP) as a goodwill gesture to the local communities for animal grazing purpose." The report further states that the land has been taken on a lease basis for 25 years at Rs 10,000 per hectare per year "with a provision for increase in the lease rate by 15% every three years."
"Though the same is located within the boundary of the solar power park, however, it has been excluded from allotment to any developer and is connected by an access road measuring approximately 5-6 metres," the report stated.
According to the Gujarat Power Corporation Limited (GPCL) website, the plant is now being constructed on 100% government waste land. On August 2021, 400 MW Solar Power Project was commissioned. Meanwhile, 300 MW work is under progress to set up solar projects, where as 100 MW Solar project is under development.
Radhanesada Ultra Mega Solar Park with a capacity of more than 700 MW has been constructed on more than 1400 hectares of land, but even till November 2022 the village where this project is located did not have a wired power connection, according to a report by the BBC Gujarati.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Demand to cancel the project
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common and Private
Non-Forest (Grazing 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?
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?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Grazing, Agricultural land
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
259
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
Yes
When did it end?
2016
Why did the conflict end?
Community's original demands were met
Following protests, the government started the re-survey procedure. Karsanbhai Rajput, Sarpanch of Radhanesda group panchayat said that the government will return 68 hectare land. The Environment and Social Impact Assessment report of July 2020 mentioned that "the land parcel, originally owned by the government, has been handed over to the Radhanesda Gram Panchayat (GP) as a goodwill gesture to the local communities for animal grazing purpose."
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Non-consultation with stakeholders
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
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:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Gujarat
Kumar Sambhav is a social entrepreneur and award-winning journalist, leading innovative research in accountability investigations. He is the founder of Land Conflict Watch and is currently working as India Research Lead with Princeton University’s Digital Witness Lab.
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