In 2006, the Government of India had proposed the development of a Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) between Delhi and Mumbai, covering a total length of 1,483 kilometres, passing through six states in the north and west of the country. The corridor is a part of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), which is a USD $90 billion mega-infrastructure project, with Japan being the major investor.
The proposed DFC will cross more than 58 hectares of forestland, cutting through the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivali, Thane forest division and Dahanu forest division.
Conservationists and tribal communities living in Thane, Dahanu and Palghar have opposed the project fearing risk to their livelihood. Vinod Dumada from the Adivasi Ekta Parishad says that the project is being undertaken at the cost of tribal life and that local tribal families will lose their land and livelihood due to development.
In 2017, 24 organisations from Gujarat and Maharashtra wrote to the Prime Minister's Office about the impact on the "physical, social and cultural upheaval of communities that live in relative symbiosis with nature". They also questioned the violation of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act by ignoring Gram Sabha (Village Assembly) resolutions. In the past, when authorities arrived for land surveys, the communities blocked them from entering the land.
Meanwhile, the DMIC, which will run parallel to the DFC, has also faced consistent opposition. In Raigad district in 2015, the Farmers’ Anti-corridor Struggle Action Committee, an outfit of peasants from 78 villages in Raigad, submitted a memorandum to then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and demanded a halt to the land acquisition until the LARR Act, 2013, came into force.
According to a Japan International Cooperation Agency report, the land acquisition for the project is to be done under the Railways (Amendment) Act, 2008. The report notes that the Railways Act is limited compared to the LARR Act, 2013, while dealing with land and rehabilitation and resettlement issues. This has led to opposition from farmers who had different expectations of compensation from the project.
During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, the Railways expedited the process of of constructing and acquiring land. The project has been delayed with the deadline being shifted from December 2021 to June 2022.
In May 2024, the Bombay High Court rejected the demand of DFCCIL to reduce the compensation from Rs 1.6 crore per hectare to Rs 15.5 lakh per hectare. The Rs 1.6 crore rate was set by the arbitrator for Divisional Commissioner of Konkan Division.
As of November 2024, the 102-km stretch from Dahanu to JNPT is still facing many challenges in land acquisition and the project is now expected to be completed by December 2025.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Refusal to give up land for the project
Demand for more compensation than promised
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Urban
Type of Land
Common and Private
Forest
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?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Yes
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
81000
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
2006
Has the Conflict Ended?
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Forest and Scheduled Area Governance Laws, Land Acquisition Laws, Other
Legislations/Policies Involved
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Controversial land acquisition by the government
Non-implementation/violation of FRA
Violation of free prior informed consent
Non-implementation/violation of PESA
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
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:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
No
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Railways
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Japan International Cooporation Agency
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Local residents, Conservationists
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?
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