Gujarat
Meu, Mulsan, Saldi, Chirthapura, Dharrisana, Devarasan, Gunjala, Charadan , Udalpur , Langhanj , Lakhwad , Dela , Piludara , Chirtsoda , Bamosana, Bhandu, Bhandupura , Laxmipura , Bokarwada among other villages in Mehsana, Banaskantha, Patan, Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad districts.
,
Mehsana
,
Mehsana
Published : 12 July, 2014   |   Last updated - 24 Jun, 2024
Gujarat farmers refuse to give up land for Ahmedabad-Tharad highway
Reported by
Suchak Patel
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Updated by
Anupa Kujur
2083
Households affected
10000
People Affected
2024
Year started
1918
Land area affected
2083
Households affected
10000
People Affected
2024
Year started
1918
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Roads
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

In August 2024, the Union Cabinet approved Rs 10,534 crore for the construction of a six-lane, access-controlled national high-speed corridor that will extend 214 kilometers from Ahmedabad to Tharad. This ambitious infrastructure project, designed to slash travel time between the two cities from six hours to a mere three, is set to pass through five key districts in Gujarat: Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Mehsana, Patan, and Banaskantha. However, the project has ignited significant controversy, especially among the region's farming communities, due to the extensive land acquisition involved.

According to a report by the Gujarat Samachar, approximately 1,300 hectares of land will be acquired from local farmers to facilitate the construction of the highway. This land, much of it fertile agricultural land, will be converted into roadway, leading to concerns about the potential impact on crop production and the livelihoods of farmers. The loss of such a large amount of productive farmland has sparked fears that many farmers will be forced to transition from landowners to farm labourers, fundamentally altering the rural landscape of the region.

The first signs of unrest appeared in July 2022, when farmers in Mehsana district, one of the areas most affected by the project, began to organize protests against the land acquisition. Approximately 40 villages in the district participated in a rally held in Mehsana town, where farmers submitted a petition to the district collector outlining 11 key issues they wanted resolved. Among their demands were calls for a resurvey of the land to minimize acquisition, alignment changes to protect more farmland, and the implementation of a Minimum Support Price in the Land Acquisition Act. The farmers also expressed concern that the expressway would disrupt the local topography, particularly by damaging the Sujlam Suflam Canal, a vital irrigation source.

The protests in Mehsana were just the beginning of a broader movement against the project. By October 2022, the discontent had spread to Gandhinagar, where a large group of farmers staged a sit-in protest at the Satyagraha camp. The farmers, many of whom were directly affected by the land acquisition, gathered to voice their opposition to the Bharatmala project, which includes the Ahmedabad-Tharad expressway. The protestors, armed with banners and slogans, were resolute in their demands, with some even resorting to hunger strikes in an effort to halt the project.

The resistance reached a new peak in April 2024, when over 100 individuals gathered at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in Gandhinagar to stage a protest against the highway project. This protest, organized under the banner of the 'Asargrast Khedut Samanvay Samiti,' saw the farmers reiterate their opposition to the land acquisition. The protesters declared their determination to protect their land, stating that they were willing to sacrifice their lives rather than surrender their property for the highway.

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand to cancel the project

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand to implement MSP (Minimum Support Price) in Land Acquisition Act.

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common and 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

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

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

10534

Type of investment:

Investment Expected

Year of Estimation

2024

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

Author
Reported by
Suchak Patel

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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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand to cancel the project

Gujarat farmers refuse to give up land for Ahmedabad-Tharad highway

Reported by

Suchak Patel

Legal Review by

Sourabh Rai, Anmol Gupta

Edited by

Anupa Sagar Kujur

Updated by

Updated by

Published on

September 22, 2024

September 23, 2024

Edited on

September 22, 2024

Sector

Infrastructure

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Roads

Starting Year

2024

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

1918

ha

Households Affected by Conflict

2083

People Affected by Conflict

10000

State

Gujarat

Sector

Infrastructure

People Affected by Conflict

10000

Households Affected by Conflict

2083

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

1918

ha

Starting Year

2024

Location of Conflict

Mehsana

Meu, Mulsan, Saldi, Chirthapura, Dharrisana, Devarasan, Gunjala, Charadan , Udalpur , Langhanj , Lakhwad , Dela , Piludara , Chirtsoda , Bamosana, Bhandu, Bhandupura , Laxmipura , Bokarwada among other villages in Mehsana, Banaskantha, Patan, Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad districts.

Mehsana

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Roads

Land Conflict Summary

In August 2024, the Union Cabinet approved Rs 10,534 crore for the construction of a six-lane, access-controlled national high-speed corridor that will extend 214 kilometers from Ahmedabad to Tharad. This ambitious infrastructure project, designed to slash travel time between the two cities from six hours to a mere three, is set to pass through five key districts in Gujarat: Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Mehsana, Patan, and Banaskantha. However, the project has ignited significant controversy, especially among the region's farming communities, due to the extensive land acquisition involved.

According to a report by the Gujarat Samachar, approximately 1,300 hectares of land will be acquired from local farmers to facilitate the construction of the highway. This land, much of it fertile agricultural land, will be converted into roadway, leading to concerns about the potential impact on crop production and the livelihoods of farmers. The loss of such a large amount of productive farmland has sparked fears that many farmers will be forced to transition from landowners to farm labourers, fundamentally altering the rural landscape of the region.

The first signs of unrest appeared in July 2022, when farmers in Mehsana district, one of the areas most affected by the project, began to organize protests against the land acquisition. Approximately 40 villages in the district participated in a rally held in Mehsana town, where farmers submitted a petition to the district collector outlining 11 key issues they wanted resolved. Among their demands were calls for a resurvey of the land to minimize acquisition, alignment changes to protect more farmland, and the implementation of a Minimum Support Price in the Land Acquisition Act. The farmers also expressed concern that the expressway would disrupt the local topography, particularly by damaging the Sujlam Suflam Canal, a vital irrigation source.

The protests in Mehsana were just the beginning of a broader movement against the project. By October 2022, the discontent had spread to Gandhinagar, where a large group of farmers staged a sit-in protest at the Satyagraha camp. The farmers, many of whom were directly affected by the land acquisition, gathered to voice their opposition to the Bharatmala project, which includes the Ahmedabad-Tharad expressway. The protestors, armed with banners and slogans, were resolute in their demands, with some even resorting to hunger strikes in an effort to halt the project.

The resistance reached a new peak in April 2024, when over 100 individuals gathered at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in Gandhinagar to stage a protest against the highway project. This protest, organized under the banner of the 'Asargrast Khedut Samanvay Samiti,' saw the farmers reiterate their opposition to the land acquisition. The protesters declared their determination to protect their land, stating that they were willing to sacrifice their lives rather than surrender their property for the highway.

Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand to cancel the project

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand to implement MSP (Minimum Support Price) in Land Acquisition Act.

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common and 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

Agricultural land

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

10534

Type of investment:

Investment Expected

Year of Estimation

2024

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

Legislations/Policies Involved

National Highways Act, 1956
Section 3A [Where the Central Government is satisfied that any land is required for any public purpose, a notification containing brief description shall be published] Section 3C [Objections from the interested persons should be raised within 21 days from the date of publication of the notification, in writing.] Section 3G [Compensation should be determined by the competent authority in accordance with the usage and nature of the land]
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Section 28 [District Collector to determine value of land considering the market value among other factors] Section 105(1) [The 2013 Act is not to be applicable in cases where land is acquired under laws specified in the Fourth Schedule.] Section 105(3) [Even for land acquisition proceedings initiated under other acts from the Fourth Schedule, compensation will be determined by this Act.] Fourth Schedule, Entry 7 [National Highways Act, 1956 included in list of exempted legislations]
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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:

Non-consultation with stakeholders

Controversial land acquisition by the government

Legal Status:

Out of Court

Status of Case In Court

Whether any adjudicatory body was approached

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:

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:

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

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  • Links Related to the Conflict:

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