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Farmers Demand Return of Unused Land Acquired for Kakinada SEZ in AP

Reported by

Surabhi Bhandari

Legal Review by

Edited by

Updated by

Published on

September 20, 2016

July 13, 2023

Edited on

September 20, 2016

State

Andhra Pradesh

Sector

Infrastructure

People Affected by Conflict

7200

Households Affected by Conflict

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

4249

ha

Starting Year

2005

Location of Conflict

Uppada Kothapalli

Jerrila

East Godavari

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Special Economic Zones (SEZ)

Land Conflict Summary

GMR Kakinada Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Limited, owns 51 per cent stake in Kakinada SEZ Ltd, which is developing a multiproduct SEZ, spanning over 10,000 acres, near Kakinada. GMR also has a licence to build a multipurpose allweather, deepdraft port as part of the SEZ, at an investment of INR 2,123 crore.
The land for the SEZ was acquired in 2005 among widespread protests by farmers. The land was acquired by the state government, through Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC), and handed over to GMR. The farmers received a compensation of INR 3 lakh per acre back then, which they were not happy with. In 2015, the Struggle Committee (a grassroots organisation by farmers created to oppose the project) alleged that while the farmers were paid compensation at the rate of just INR 3 lakh per acre, the management had borrowed INR 20 lakh from the bank by pledging each acre of the land acquired from the farmers and had even put the lands for sale at the rate of INR 70 lakh per acre. As a response, the state government increased the compensation in August 2015. In October 2018, since the promised development had not taken place even after five years, the farmers were agitated and demanded that their land be returned to them. They started tilling and transplantation on the fields and even filed petitions for the return of land. Further, with the proposal of APIIC to divest its stake in the SEZ to focus on its core airport and energy businesses, it is evident that no further investment will be pumped into the SEZ by the APIIC till the completion of divestment. As a result, the farmers' lands remain acquired without any employment guarantee for them. In 2019, the Adani group acquired a stake in the Krishnapatnam Port Company. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones Limited is looking to buy, in 2020, the Kakinada port and the adjoining SEZ in Kona village in East Godavari district, both of which are promoted by the GMR Group.

Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for compensation

Demand to get back acquired land

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand for employment

Demand for more compensation than promised

Demand for rehabilitation

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Private

Type of Common Land

Non-Forest (Grazing 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):

40000

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, Forest and Scheduled Area Governance Laws, Central/State Government Policy

Legislations/Policies Involved

Special Economic Zones Act, 2005
Section 5(d) [Central Government to discharge functions of creating employment opportunities in Special Economic Zone]
Andhra Pradesh Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries/ Factories Act, 2019
Section 3 [At least 75% of employment engaged should consist of local candidates in the Industries/ Factories/ Joint Ventures and Public Private Partnership mode and if there is a shortage of candidates, active steps should be taken through active collaboration of Government to train local candidates within 3 years
G.O.M. No. 68, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy 2005 for Project Affected Families, Irrigation and C.A.D. Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh, April 8, 2005
Para 4.5 [Duty of Administrator to ensure minimum displacement, Holding consultations with affected families, Protection of interests of the the weaker sections, ensuring proper rehabilitation and resettlement]; Chapter 6 [Resettlement & Rehabilitation benefits for project affected families such as allotment of house site, exgratia payment and other grants] ; Chapter 6-A [Social Impact Assessment of Project to be carried out in Scheduled areas if more than 200 families are getting displaced]
Andhra Pradesh Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Rules, 2014
Rule 34 [Return of Land to the Original Land Owner if land remains unused for 5 years after possession being taken]
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Section 25 [Collector to make award within 12 months from the date of publication, else acquisition proceedings shall lapse]; Section 31[this section enlists the components to be included in the rehabilitation award including mandatory employment for members of affected families]; Section 41 [Special provisions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Scheduled Areas and prior consent of Gram Sabha or Panchayat or Autonomous District Councils]
Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996
Section 4(i) [Gram Sabha or panchayat to be consulted before land acquisition and rehabilitation]
Section 11A [Collector to make the award within a period of two years from the date of publication of the declaration, else entire Acquisition proceedings shall lapse]; Section 16 [Possession may be taken after award has been made by the collector]
  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:

No items found.

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)

Supreme Court

Case Number

Writ Petition(s)(Civil) No(s).1044/2016

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

Protests/marches

Development of a network or collective

Campaigns (grassroots organisations/press releases/media)

Complaints/petitions/letters/memorandums to officials

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Special Economic Zone, Kakinada Special Economic Zone Struggle Committee, CBI, Government of Andhra Pradesh

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC), GMR Kakinada SEZ Limited

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:

Struggle Committee Against the KSEZ, KSEZ Vyatireka Porata Committee

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

GMR Kakinada Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Limited, owns 51 per cent stake in Kakinada SEZ Ltd, which is developing a multiproduct SEZ, spanning over 10,000 acres, near Kakinada. GMR also has a licence to build a multipurpose allweather, deepdraft port as part of the SEZ, at an investment of INR 2,123 crore.
The land for the SEZ was acquired in 2005 among widespread protests by farmers. The land was acquired by the state government, through Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC), and handed over to GMR. The farmers received a compensation of INR 3 lakh per acre back then, which they were not happy with. In 2015, the Struggle Committee (a grassroots organisation by farmers created to oppose the project) alleged that while the farmers were paid compensation at the rate of just INR 3 lakh per acre, the management had borrowed INR 20 lakh from the bank by pledging each acre of the land acquired from the farmers and had even put the lands for sale at the rate of INR 70 lakh per acre. As a response, the state government increased the compensation in August 2015. In October 2018, since the promised development had not taken place even after five years, the farmers were agitated and demanded that their land be returned to them. They started tilling and transplantation on the fields and even filed petitions for the return of land. Further, with the proposal of APIIC to divest its stake in the SEZ to focus on its core airport and energy businesses, it is evident that no further investment will be pumped into the SEZ by the APIIC till the completion of divestment. As a result, the farmers' lands remain acquired without any employment guarantee for them. In 2019, the Adani group acquired a stake in the Krishnapatnam Port Company. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones Limited is looking to buy, in 2020, the Kakinada port and the adjoining SEZ in Kona village in East Godavari district, both of which are promoted by the GMR Group.

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for compensation

Demand to get back acquired land

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand for employment

Demand for more compensation than promised

Demand for rehabilitation

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Private

Type of Common Land

Non-Forest (Grazing Land), Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)

Total investment involved (in Crores):

40000

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, Forest and Scheduled Area Governance Laws, Central/State Government Policy

Legislations/Policies Involved

Special Economic Zones Act, 2005
Section 5(d) [Central Government to discharge functions of creating employment opportunities in Special Economic Zone]
Andhra Pradesh Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries/ Factories Act, 2019
Section 3 [At least 75% of employment engaged should consist of local candidates in the Industries/ Factories/ Joint Ventures and Public Private Partnership mode and if there is a shortage of candidates, active steps should be taken through active collaboration of Government to train local candidates within 3 years
G.O.M. No. 68, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy 2005 for Project Affected Families, Irrigation and C.A.D. Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh, April 8, 2005
Para 4.5 [Duty of Administrator to ensure minimum displacement, Holding consultations with affected families, Protection of interests of the the weaker sections, ensuring proper rehabilitation and resettlement]; Chapter 6 [Resettlement & Rehabilitation benefits for project affected families such as allotment of house site, exgratia payment and other grants] ; Chapter 6-A [Social Impact Assessment of Project to be carried out in Scheduled areas if more than 200 families are getting displaced]
Andhra Pradesh Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Rules, 2014
Rule 34 [Return of Land to the Original Land Owner if land remains unused for 5 years after possession being taken]
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Section 25 [Collector to make award within 12 months from the date of publication, else acquisition proceedings shall lapse]; Section 31[this section enlists the components to be included in the rehabilitation award including mandatory employment for members of affected families]; Section 41 [Special provisions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Scheduled Areas and prior consent of Gram Sabha or Panchayat or Autonomous District Councils]
Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996
Section 4(i) [Gram Sabha or panchayat to be consulted before land acquisition and rehabilitation]
Section 11A [Collector to make the award within a period of two years from the date of publication of the declaration, else entire Acquisition proceedings shall lapse]; Section 16 [Possession may be taken after award has been made by the collector]
  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:

No items found.

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)

Supreme Court

Case Number

Writ Petition(s)(Civil) No(s).1044/2016

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

Protests/marches

Development of a network or collective

Campaigns (grassroots organisations/press releases/media)

Complaints/petitions/letters/memorandums to officials

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Special Economic Zone, Kakinada Special Economic Zone Struggle Committee, CBI, Government of Andhra Pradesh

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC), GMR Kakinada SEZ Limited

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:

Struggle Committee Against the KSEZ, KSEZ Vyatireka Porata Committee

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 Andhra Pradesh

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