On March 4, 2017, the Maharashtra government issued a notification for the temporary acquisition of land under the provisions of the Petroleum and Mineral 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) 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. The letters further stated 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 also 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 of 2013 instead of the Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines Act.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Government Bodies Involved in the Conflict:
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, Government of Maharashtra
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Western Concessions Private Limited
Other Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Legislations Involved in the Conflict:
Land Acquisition Laws
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Legal Status:
Name(s) of Court(s)
Case Number
Nature of Protest
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Has the Conflict Ended?
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?