Uttar Pradesh
,
Dadri
,
Gautam Buddha Nagar
Published : 12 July, 2014   |   Last updated - 24 Jun, 2024
Farmers protest against NTPC's Dadri land deal in Noida, demand fair compensation
Reported by
Saumya Srivastava
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Updated by
Anupa Kujur
2200
Households affected
10560
People Affected
1986
Year started
Land area affected
2200
Households affected
10560
People Affected
1986
Year started
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Power
Reason/Cause of conflict
Thermal Power Plant
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

Farmers from 105 villages protested outside the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) office in Sector 24, Noida, on 5 January, 2024, over the land acquired in the 1980s for setting up the Dadri power plant. 

The farmers, who had been stationed outside the NTPC office since December 19, shut down the NTPC office before the police barricaded the area. Visuals from the protest site showed women farmers climbing atop barricades as protesters chanted slogans. 

NTPC acquired land from 2,200 families residing in 23 villages in Dadri to set up the power plant in 1985 and in 1995. The protestors, backed by the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), demanded equal compensation at a uniform rate for the land that was acquired by NTPC. They also demanded that all affected individuals who had given their land for setting up the power plant be granted plots and their compensation be increased by 64 per cent. Stating that only 182 people got jobs on the basis of vacancies, they demanded that at least one member of the affected family be given a government job. They also demanded resettlement of those affected in the rural areas. Apart from these, they also demanded that educational and healthcare facilities be given by NTPC to the families of farmers.

Sukhbir Yadav from BKU alleged that NTPC had agreed to provide uniform compensation to the farmers but later declined to sign the document. The farmers said that they won’t move and continue protesting till their demands are met. 

NTPC officials claimed that equal compensation and employment after almost 40 years was impossible. They also said that the compensation disbursed by NTPC was keeping with the rate prevalent at the time of the acquisition of land and compensation disbursement. They stated that the land acquisition and the compensation for the land acquired were carried out under the relevant Land Acquisition Act and the directives given by the then district administration. They added that the National Capital Power Station (NCPS) has given 182 project affected farmers regular employment on the basis of available vacancies, suitability and eligibility. 

The officials from NTPC reiterated that uniform compensation and other demands made by the farmers with respect to employment reservations and healthcare facilities cannot be realised after so many years of land acquisition. 

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for more compensation than promised

Demand for employment

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for resettlement, and development of community area

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Private

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?

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

Project completed

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Agricultural land

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

No

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

1669.21

Type of investment:

Investment Made

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

No

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

Author
Reported by
Saumya Srivastava

Uttar Pradesh

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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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for more compensation than promised

Demand for employment

Farmers protest against NTPC's Dadri land deal in Noida, demand fair compensation

Reported by

Saumya Srivastava

Legal Review by

Anmol Gupta

Edited by

Anupa Sagar Kujur

Updated by

Updated by

Published on

February 20, 2024

February 23, 2024

Edited on

February 20, 2024

Sector

Power

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Thermal Power Plant

Starting Year

1986

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

ha

Households Affected by Conflict

2200

People Affected by Conflict

10560

State

Uttar Pradesh

Sector

Power

People Affected by Conflict

10560

Households Affected by Conflict

2200

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

ha

Starting Year

1986

Location of Conflict

Dadri

Gautam Buddha Nagar

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Thermal Power Plant

Land Conflict Summary

Farmers from 105 villages protested outside the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) office in Sector 24, Noida, on 5 January, 2024, over the land acquired in the 1980s for setting up the Dadri power plant. 

The farmers, who had been stationed outside the NTPC office since December 19, shut down the NTPC office before the police barricaded the area. Visuals from the protest site showed women farmers climbing atop barricades as protesters chanted slogans. 

NTPC acquired land from 2,200 families residing in 23 villages in Dadri to set up the power plant in 1985 and in 1995. The protestors, backed by the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), demanded equal compensation at a uniform rate for the land that was acquired by NTPC. They also demanded that all affected individuals who had given their land for setting up the power plant be granted plots and their compensation be increased by 64 per cent. Stating that only 182 people got jobs on the basis of vacancies, they demanded that at least one member of the affected family be given a government job. They also demanded resettlement of those affected in the rural areas. Apart from these, they also demanded that educational and healthcare facilities be given by NTPC to the families of farmers.

Sukhbir Yadav from BKU alleged that NTPC had agreed to provide uniform compensation to the farmers but later declined to sign the document. The farmers said that they won’t move and continue protesting till their demands are met. 

NTPC officials claimed that equal compensation and employment after almost 40 years was impossible. They also said that the compensation disbursed by NTPC was keeping with the rate prevalent at the time of the acquisition of land and compensation disbursement. They stated that the land acquisition and the compensation for the land acquired were carried out under the relevant Land Acquisition Act and the directives given by the then district administration. They added that the National Capital Power Station (NCPS) has given 182 project affected farmers regular employment on the basis of available vacancies, suitability and eligibility. 

The officials from NTPC reiterated that uniform compensation and other demands made by the farmers with respect to employment reservations and healthcare facilities cannot be realised after so many years of land acquisition. 

Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for more compensation than promised

Demand for employment

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for resettlement, and development of community area

Region Classification

Rural

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

Project completed

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Agricultural land

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

No

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

1669.21

Type of investment:

Investment Made

Year of Estimation

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

Legislations/Policies Involved

Land Acquisition Act, 1894
Section 6 [Government to publish a notification that land is being acquired for public purpose]; Section 11A [Collector to make an award for land acquisition within a period of two years from the date when notification was issued. If no award is made, the acquisition will lapse] Section 17 [In cases of urgency, the Government can take possession of acquired land even if no award has been passed.] Section 17(3A) [Before taking possession under section 17, the Collector must pay 80% of the compensation to the landowners whose land is being acquired]
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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

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:

No items found.

Reported Details of the Violation:

Date of Violation

Location of Violation

Additional Information

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

National Thermal Power Corporation

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?

No

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Bhartiya Kisan Parishad (BKP)

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

Farmers of the (BKP) Bharatiya Kisan Parishad protest against the Dadri NTPC at NTPC office in Sector 24 in Noida on Monday

Image Credit:  

Sunil Ghosh

Farmers in front of the NTPC office in Sector 24.

Image Credit:  

Abhinav Saha

Video

Republic World

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