Low Compensation, Lack of Consultation Force Ratnagiri Residents To Oppose GAIL Pipeline

Reported by

Nupur Sonar

Published on

June 19, 2019

June 19, 2019

Updated on

June 19, 2019

Location of Conflict

Jaigarh

Ratnagiri

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Petroleum and Gas

(

)

People Affected by Conflict

20000

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

5570

ha

Starting Year

2018

State

Maharashtra

Sector

Industry

Summary
Fact Sheet
Legal Data
Additional
Information
Resources
Images
Videos

On March 4, 2017, the Maharashtra government issued a notification for the temporary acquisition of land under the provisions of the Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Act, 1962. Under the Act, land is temporarily acquired for a project while the permanent ownership of the land stays with the land owner. While the Act allows land owners to go back to using the land for its original purpose, it bars them from planting trees, digging wells and constructing buildings, dams and reservoirs on the land. In letters to the district administration and the environment minister of Maharashtra in March 2019, the Guhagar Taluka GAIL Pipeline Sangharsh Samiti (a collective of land owners opposing the pipeline project) and the Nirantar Konkan Kruti Samiti (a collective of youth working towards sustainable development of the Konkan region) asked for the work on the project to be stopped. The letters stated that not all land owners were issued notices as a result of which not all of them could raise their concerns/objections within the stipulated time frame of 21 days under the Act. They also wrote in the letters that temporary land acquisition for laying the pipeline and construction work were being done by forcefully misusing police machinery to intimidate the land owners. They further alleged that land owners were not present when the _panchnama _(record of observation by five people) of the land was done and that their signatures were forged. The organisations are yet to receive a response to their complaints. In letters to the district collector, the villagers opposing the project have demanded compensation as per the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, instead of the Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines Act. There are currently overlapping interpretations of which law shall prevail, as the Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines Act only envisages the acquisition of Right of Use of land whereas the LARR Act results in full acquisition of ownership. As of 2020, the government was seeking to amend the former to fix the compensation amount to be paid for right of use.

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Complaint against procedural violations

Demand for more compensation than promised

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Both

Type of Common Land

Total investment involved (in Crores):

₹

400

Type of investment:

Cost of Project

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, Other

Legislations/Policies Involved

Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Act, 1962
Section 3(1) [When it is necessary to acquire the right of user in any land under which pipelines may be laid, the Union government shall publish a notification in the Official Gazette]; Section 4 [The Union government, state government or Corporation which proposes to lay the pipelines shall have the power to enter any land for survey after the notification has been published]; Section 5(1) [Any person interested in the land may file an objection against the laying of the pipeline within a period of 21 days from the date of publication of the notification]; Section 6 [After all the objections have been dealt with by the authority, the Union government may declare that the right of user in land for laying the pipelines has been acquired]; Section 9 [The owner or occupier of any acquired land shall not be allowed to plant any trees or construct any buildings on the acquired land]; Section 10 [The owner of the acquired land shall be entitled to compensation for damage, loss or injury incurred]
Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Rules, 1963
Rule 3(2) [The substance of the notification declaring the intent of the Union government to acquire land shall be published by beat of drum in the neighborhood and by affixing a copy in a conspicuous place in the locality]; Rule 3(3) [A copy of the notification declaring the intent of the Union government to acquire land shall be served to every person who is the owner of land as per the revenue records]
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Section 105 [The provisions of this Act shall not be applicable to the land acquisition made under the Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Act, 1962]
S.O. 2368 (E), Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2015, Ministry of Rural Development, August 28, 2015
Section 2 [The provisions of the LARR Act, 2013, relating to compensation, rehabilitation, resettlement and infrastructural amenities shall apply to all cases of land acquisition under the enactments specified in the Fourth Schedule]

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    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

Yes

What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community? What was the decision of the concerned government department?

Objections to the pipeline project were filed as per Section 5 of the Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Act, 1962.

Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:

No items found.

Legal Status:

Out of Court

Status of Case In Court

Whether any adjudicatory body was approached

No

What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?

Name of the adjudicatory body

Name(s) of the Court(s)

Case Number

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

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board

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:

Western Concessions Private Limited

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Resources Related to Conflict

  • News Articles Related to the Conflict:
  • Documents Related to the Conflict:
  • Links Related to the Conflict:

Image Credit:  

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Documented By

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Reviewed By

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Updated By

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Edited By

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