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

Kashmir Farmers Seek Higher Compensation for Semi-Ring Road Land Acquisition

Reported by

Athar Parvaiz

Legal Review by

Edited by

Updated by

Published on

March 8, 2018

May 17, 2022

Edited on

March 8, 2018

State

Jammu and Kashmir

Sector

Infrastructure

People Affected by Conflict

4800

Households Affected by Conflict

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

275

ha

Starting Year

2017

Location of Conflict

Pulwama

Pulwama

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Roads

Land Conflict Summary

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is constructing a 42 km long semiring road requiring an investment of Rs. 939.41 crores in five districts (Pulwama, Budgam, Srinagar, Baramulla, Bandipora & Ganderbal) of Jammu & Kashmir. The road is supposed to ease the mobility of traffic and connect South and Central Kashmir Pampore town with Manigam, Sonmarg, Baltal base camp and finally reach Ladakh. For the project, over 600 acres of fertile apple and plum orchards and paddy fields is to be acquired. However, farmers are unhappy with the compensation offered under the the Jammu and Kashmir Land Acquisition Act, 1934. In 2017, the new Land Acquisition Rehabilitation & Resettlement Act (LARR), 2013 was not applicable in Jammu & Kashmir under the provisions of Article 370. Affected farmers argued in protests that the compensation offered to them was 4times below what is offered in the other states. In [2018](http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/kashmir/semiringroadlandownersdemandadequatecompensation/269512.html, http://www.knskashmir.com/NHAISshabbylandcompensationunitesKashmiriJammufarmers23250, http://kashmirlife.net/deviousdispossessionissue44vol09164266/, http://www.kashmirtimes.in/newsdet.aspx?q=76181, https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/srinagarcity/removebottleneckstostartworkonsemiringroad/288708.html, https://kashmirreader.com/2018/07/19/semiringroadlandownersprotestdemandadequatecompensation/, https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/srinagarcity/expeditelandacquisitionforsemiringroadprojectdivcommtoofficers/284560.html), they asked for an opportunity to have private negotiations of the prices with NHAI, which the latter declined. They also demand the central LARR Act 2013 be implemented in the state. Since January 2018, farmers under the banner of Ring/SemiRing Road Land Owners Welfare Committee (RRLOWC) have approached officials and protested against the acquisition and the compensation. The officials continued to proceed with acquisition ahead of its inauguration on May 19, 2018. In August 2020, the project in Kashmir was still stuck at the land acquisition phase, with little no progress having been made since its initiation in 2018. In November 2020, the High Court of Srinagar, directed the Government against land acquisition for Srinagar Semi Ring Road until next hearing before the bench as the authorities failed to compensate for the land within time. Petitioners approached the judiciary seeking new land acquisition process under the central Land Acquisition Act, which came into operation in the union territory in 2019.

Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for compensation

Demand for more compensation than promised

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Urban

Type of Land

Private

Type of Common Land

Non-Forest (Other than 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?

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):

939.41

Type of investment:

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

Legal Data

Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict

Land Acquisition Laws

Legislations/Policies Involved

State Land Acquisition Act, 1990 (1934 AD)
Sections 11B [Award to be made within 2 years from the date of publication of declaration]; Section 17A [Before taking possession of the land, 80% of the compensation should be paid] Section 35 [In case of delay in paying the compensation amount, an interest shall be payable upon the said amount]
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Section 5 [Requires the Government to hold a public hearing for social impact assessment]; Section 7 [Requires every Social Impact Assessment Report to be appraised by a multi-disciplinary expert group]; Section 10 [This section provides for provisions to be made for food security by giving alternate land to the farmers or make other such provisions when fertile farm land is being acquired]; Section 27 [This section determines the amount of compensation]; Section 28 [this section lays down parameters to be considered by the collector to determine the compensation]; Section 31(1) [this section mentions the rehabilitation and resettlement award for affected families by the collector]; First Schedule [This Schedule contains the components that should constitute the minimum compensation package to be given to those who lose their land]
  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:

Constitutional inconsistencies between state and Union land laws

Controversial land acquisition by the government

Non-payment of compensation/promised compensation

Delay in compensation

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 Jammu and Kashmir

Case Number

Main Reasoning/Decision of court

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

Complaints/petitions/letters/memorandums to officials

Development of a network or collective

Advocacy (for inclusion in courts)

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) , Government of Jammu & Kashmir, Revenue Department

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:

Ring / Semi Ring Road Land Owners Welfare Committee (RRLOWC)

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

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is constructing a 42 km long semiring road requiring an investment of Rs. 939.41 crores in five districts (Pulwama, Budgam, Srinagar, Baramulla, Bandipora & Ganderbal) of Jammu & Kashmir. The road is supposed to ease the mobility of traffic and connect South and Central Kashmir Pampore town with Manigam, Sonmarg, Baltal base camp and finally reach Ladakh. For the project, over 600 acres of fertile apple and plum orchards and paddy fields is to be acquired. However, farmers are unhappy with the compensation offered under the the Jammu and Kashmir Land Acquisition Act, 1934. In 2017, the new Land Acquisition Rehabilitation & Resettlement Act (LARR), 2013 was not applicable in Jammu & Kashmir under the provisions of Article 370. Affected farmers argued in protests that the compensation offered to them was 4times below what is offered in the other states. In [2018](http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/kashmir/semiringroadlandownersdemandadequatecompensation/269512.html, http://www.knskashmir.com/NHAISshabbylandcompensationunitesKashmiriJammufarmers23250, http://kashmirlife.net/deviousdispossessionissue44vol09164266/, http://www.kashmirtimes.in/newsdet.aspx?q=76181, https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/srinagarcity/removebottleneckstostartworkonsemiringroad/288708.html, https://kashmirreader.com/2018/07/19/semiringroadlandownersprotestdemandadequatecompensation/, https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/srinagarcity/expeditelandacquisitionforsemiringroadprojectdivcommtoofficers/284560.html), they asked for an opportunity to have private negotiations of the prices with NHAI, which the latter declined. They also demand the central LARR Act 2013 be implemented in the state. Since January 2018, farmers under the banner of Ring/SemiRing Road Land Owners Welfare Committee (RRLOWC) have approached officials and protested against the acquisition and the compensation. The officials continued to proceed with acquisition ahead of its inauguration on May 19, 2018. In August 2020, the project in Kashmir was still stuck at the land acquisition phase, with little no progress having been made since its initiation in 2018. In November 2020, the High Court of Srinagar, directed the Government against land acquisition for Srinagar Semi Ring Road until next hearing before the bench as the authorities failed to compensate for the land within time. Petitioners approached the judiciary seeking new land acquisition process under the central Land Acquisition Act, which came into operation in the union territory in 2019.

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for compensation

Demand for more compensation than promised

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Urban

Type of Land

Private

Type of Common Land

Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)

Total investment involved (in Crores):

939.41

Type of investment:

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

Legislations/Policies Involved

State Land Acquisition Act, 1990 (1934 AD)
Sections 11B [Award to be made within 2 years from the date of publication of declaration]; Section 17A [Before taking possession of the land, 80% of the compensation should be paid] Section 35 [In case of delay in paying the compensation amount, an interest shall be payable upon the said amount]
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Section 5 [Requires the Government to hold a public hearing for social impact assessment]; Section 7 [Requires every Social Impact Assessment Report to be appraised by a multi-disciplinary expert group]; Section 10 [This section provides for provisions to be made for food security by giving alternate land to the farmers or make other such provisions when fertile farm land is being acquired]; Section 27 [This section determines the amount of compensation]; Section 28 [this section lays down parameters to be considered by the collector to determine the compensation]; Section 31(1) [this section mentions the rehabilitation and resettlement award for affected families by the collector]; First Schedule [This Schedule contains the components that should constitute the minimum compensation package to be given to those who lose their land]
  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:

Constitutional inconsistencies between state and Union land laws

Controversial land acquisition by the government

Non-payment of compensation/promised compensation

Delay in compensation

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 Jammu and Kashmir

Case Number

Main Reasoning/Decision of court

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

Complaints/petitions/letters/memorandums to officials

Development of a network or collective

Advocacy (for inclusion in courts)

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) , Government of Jammu & Kashmir, Revenue Department

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:

Ring / Semi Ring Road Land Owners Welfare Committee (RRLOWC)

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 Jammu and Kashmir

cross
Not a member yet?
Sign up now