Maharashtra
Parner Taluka
,
Shirsule
,
Ahmednagar
Published : 12 July, 2014   |   Last updated - 24 Jun, 2024
Locals oppose tree felling for Jal Jeevan Mission Project in Ahmednagar; Bombay HC orders stay
Reported by
Maitreya Ghorpade
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Updated by
Anupa Kujur
121
Households affected
691
People Affected
2023
Year started
6
Land area affected
121
Households affected
691
People Affected
2023
Year started
6
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Water Management
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

The use of 6.07 hectares of land situated in Shirsule village of Ahmednagar to construct a water supply project is a present cause of concern for various local residents of the area.

The project is being executed by Maharashtra Government’s Water Supply and Sanitation Department, also known as the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP), under the auspices of Central Government’s flagship Jal Jeevan Mission, that plans to bring water to every tap across India.

The project, planned on government-owned land, envisions construction of a water treatment plant as well as a water tank to supply water to locals of neighbouring villages.

However, the primary grievance of local residents’ concerns tree felling proposed to be undertaken for the project. As per the testimony of local farmer Baban Kawad, the said area of 6.07 ha presently holds somewhere between 1000-1200 trees which are likely to be felled or damaged during construction of the water supply project. “This forest was planted by the villagers, who continue to rely on forest produce for their livelihoods. There are also peacocks and leopards who live in this forest. This project will destroy it all,” claimed Kawad.

Another local farmer, Digambhar Ghogare, states that there are various encroachments in and around the same area, that have been illegally constructed. Ghogare states that there is no need to fell the trees for the project, which should instead be executed in a place of the existing encroachments. A case filed in 2019 concerning the alleged illegal encroachments is currently pending before the Aurangabad Bench of the High Court of Bombay.

Members of the Gram Panchayat of Shirsule have been actively pursuing a protest against the project, and has even stated that they are likely to go on hunger strike if the project is not cancelled. Due to local pressure, the Forest Department of Maharashtra has denied permission sought by the District Collector, Ahmednagar, for felling of 820 trees on 4 March 2024. However, the MJP issued a special request letter to the Police Superintendent of Ahmednagar on 3 April 2024, seeking police assistance in construction of the project to be undertaken by the MJP.

Fearing grant of police assistance, Digambhar Ghogare approached the Aurangabad Bench of the High Court of Bombay through a Writ Petition. On 22 May 2024, the High Court granted a stay on tree-felling for the project until the next date of hearing.

Advocate Swapnil Mule, the counsel for the petitioner in the matter, stated that the trees being felled were of an advanced age which were being illegally felled for the project. Hence, the High Court intervened and granted interim relief in the matter.

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Opposition against environmental degradation

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common

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?

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

Grazing, Other environmental services

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

Type of investment:

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
Maitreya Ghorpade

Maharashtra

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 to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Opposition against environmental degradation

Locals oppose tree felling for Jal Jeevan Mission Project in Ahmednagar; Bombay HC orders stay

Reported by

Maitreya Ghorpade

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

Water Management

Starting Year

2023

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

6

ha

Households Affected by Conflict

121

People Affected by Conflict

691

State

Maharashtra

Sector

Infrastructure

People Affected by Conflict

691

Households Affected by Conflict

121

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

6

ha

Starting Year

2023

Location of Conflict

Shirsule

Parner Taluka

Ahmednagar

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Water Management

Land Conflict Summary

The use of 6.07 hectares of land situated in Shirsule village of Ahmednagar to construct a water supply project is a present cause of concern for various local residents of the area.

The project is being executed by Maharashtra Government’s Water Supply and Sanitation Department, also known as the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP), under the auspices of Central Government’s flagship Jal Jeevan Mission, that plans to bring water to every tap across India.

The project, planned on government-owned land, envisions construction of a water treatment plant as well as a water tank to supply water to locals of neighbouring villages.

However, the primary grievance of local residents’ concerns tree felling proposed to be undertaken for the project. As per the testimony of local farmer Baban Kawad, the said area of 6.07 ha presently holds somewhere between 1000-1200 trees which are likely to be felled or damaged during construction of the water supply project. “This forest was planted by the villagers, who continue to rely on forest produce for their livelihoods. There are also peacocks and leopards who live in this forest. This project will destroy it all,” claimed Kawad.

Another local farmer, Digambhar Ghogare, states that there are various encroachments in and around the same area, that have been illegally constructed. Ghogare states that there is no need to fell the trees for the project, which should instead be executed in a place of the existing encroachments. A case filed in 2019 concerning the alleged illegal encroachments is currently pending before the Aurangabad Bench of the High Court of Bombay.

Members of the Gram Panchayat of Shirsule have been actively pursuing a protest against the project, and has even stated that they are likely to go on hunger strike if the project is not cancelled. Due to local pressure, the Forest Department of Maharashtra has denied permission sought by the District Collector, Ahmednagar, for felling of 820 trees on 4 March 2024. However, the MJP issued a special request letter to the Police Superintendent of Ahmednagar on 3 April 2024, seeking police assistance in construction of the project to be undertaken by the MJP.

Fearing grant of police assistance, Digambhar Ghogare approached the Aurangabad Bench of the High Court of Bombay through a Writ Petition. On 22 May 2024, the High Court granted a stay on tree-felling for the project until the next date of hearing.

Advocate Swapnil Mule, the counsel for the petitioner in the matter, stated that the trees being felled were of an advanced age which were being illegally felled for the project. Hence, the High Court intervened and granted interim relief in the matter.

Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Opposition against environmental degradation

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common

Type of Common Land

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?

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

Grazing, Other environmental services

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

Type of investment:

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

Maharashtra Felling of Trees (Regulation) Act, 1964
Section 4 [Any person who fells down a tree without permission, or causes it to be felled, will be held liable]
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  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

No

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:

Violation of environmental laws

Non-consultation with stakeholders

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)

Bombay High Court at Aurangabad

Case Number

Writ Petition No. 5029 of 2024

Main Reasoning/Decision of court

The Petitioner filed a Writ Petiton against the order passed by the Tree Officer/ Forest Officer dated March 4, 2024. The petitioner produced photographs in which the government officials were cutting tress illegally without required permission by concerned authority. The High Court after considering all these aspects granted interim (temporary) relief to the petitioner.

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:

Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran; District Collector Ahmednagar

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:

Gram Panchayat, Shirsule

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

Jeevan Pradhikaran Prevented from felling 820 trees for Water Treatment Project (translated from Marathi)

Image Credit:  

Divya Marathi Newspaper

Temporary Relief for Shirsule Trees granted by Court (translated from Marathi)

Image Credit:  

Parner Darshan Newspaper

Video

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