JOIN THE LCW
COMMUNITY

Exclusive monthly policy briefs, stories from the ground, quarterly analytics report, curated expert talks, merchandise and much more. Support our work!

Sign up today

Fearing Displacement, Bihar Village Opposes Thermal Power Plant, Refuses to Surrender Land

Reported by

Alok

Legal Review by

Edited by

Updated by

Published on

December 22, 2016

March 4, 2024

Edited on

December 22, 2016

State

Bihar

Sector

Power

People Affected by Conflict

384

Households Affected by Conflict

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

49

ha

Starting Year

2009

Location of Conflict

Baaghi

Aurangabad

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Thermal Power Plant

Land Conflict Summary

Residents and farmers have been fighting against displacement and demanding compensation for several years in relation to the construction of a thermal power plant of Nabinagar Power Generation Company (NPGC). The joint venture project has been developed by Bharatiya Rail Bijlee Company Limited (BRBCL) with NTPC having 74 per cent equity, and the Ministry of Railways holding the remaining 26 per cent. The plant was targeted to be commissioned in May 2017, with the other two units at an interval of six months each thereafter. About 2,789 acres of land has been awarded for the project out of the total 2,971 acres spread over eight villages in Nabinagar and Barun blocks in Aurangabad district.
In Baaghi Village, residents who were facing a threat of displacement submitted memorandums and applications to the district administration explaining that they did not want to give up their land for the power project. The residents were also peeved with the notice of the district magistrate, Kanwal Tanuj, on December 2, 2016, which stated that farmers not agreeing to or accepting compensation were hindering the power project. The magistrate ordered that the compensation of these farmers would be deposited in the court and legal action would be initiated against them for stalling a power project of national importance.
In 2018, it was reported that the Central Bureau of Investigation had filed a case of criminal conspiracy against Tanuj and C. Shiv Kumar, CEO of BRBCL. The charge cited the siphoning of funds that were to be distributed to the farmers for the process of land acquisition.

Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand for promised compensation

Complaint against procedural violations

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Urban and Rural

Type of Land

Common and Private

Type of Common Land

Forest and Non-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?

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

Project completed

Original Project Deadline

2017

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Residential area, Agricultural land

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

7998

Type of investment:

Cost of Project

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

10

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, Other, Case Laws

Legislations/Policies Involved

Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Section 77(2) [If a person does not consent to receiving the compensation, the Collector shall deposit the amount with the Authority]; Section 87 [In case of offences by government departments, the head of the department shall be deemed to be guilty]
Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988
Section 13(1)(d) [An abuse of position for pecuniary advantage amounts to criminal misconduct by a public servant]
Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 420 [Punishment for cheating]; Section 467 [Forgery of valuable security]
NTPC Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) Policy, 2010
Section 2.3.4.1 [Payment of annuity as a form of rehabilitation through financial institutions]
Kanwal Tanuj vs The State of Bihar (Crim. Appeal No. 414 of 2020, Supreme Court)
  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:

Controversial land acquisition by the government

Non-payment of compensation/promised compensation

Non-implementation/violation of LARR Act

Delay in compensation

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)

High Court of Bihar at Patna, Supreme Court of India

Case Number

Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.14391 of 2019, Criminal Appeal No. 414 of 2020

Main Reasoning/Decision of court

On July 2019, the Patna high court dismissed a writ application requesting annuity payments under the 2010 NTPC Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy on the ground that the representations must be made before the district magistrate, Aurangabad. On April 24, 2020, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition filed by the district magistrate, Aurangabad, for quashing of the charges of cheating and corruption against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The court noted that there had been large-scale siphoning of funds pertaining to the land acquisition for the Nabinagar power plant. The criminal trial of the district magistrate is pending.

Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:

No items found.

Whether criminal law was used against protestors:

Reported Details of the Violation:

None

Date of Violation

Location of Violation

Additional Information

Nature of Protest

Complaints/petitions/letters/memorandums to officials

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Bihar Government

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Bharatiya Rail Bijlee Company Limited, National Thermal Power Corporation Limited

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

Nabinagar Power Generation Company Private Limited

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Farmers, Visthapit Kishan Majdoor Kalyan Samiti

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

Residents and farmers have been fighting against displacement and demanding compensation for several years in relation to the construction of a thermal power plant of Nabinagar Power Generation Company (NPGC). The joint venture project has been developed by Bharatiya Rail Bijlee Company Limited (BRBCL) with NTPC having 74 per cent equity, and the Ministry of Railways holding the remaining 26 per cent. The plant was targeted to be commissioned in May 2017, with the other two units at an interval of six months each thereafter. About 2,789 acres of land has been awarded for the project out of the total 2,971 acres spread over eight villages in Nabinagar and Barun blocks in Aurangabad district.
In Baaghi Village, residents who were facing a threat of displacement submitted memorandums and applications to the district administration explaining that they did not want to give up their land for the power project. The residents were also peeved with the notice of the district magistrate, Kanwal Tanuj, on December 2, 2016, which stated that farmers not agreeing to or accepting compensation were hindering the power project. The magistrate ordered that the compensation of these farmers would be deposited in the court and legal action would be initiated against them for stalling a power project of national importance.
In 2018, it was reported that the Central Bureau of Investigation had filed a case of criminal conspiracy against Tanuj and C. Shiv Kumar, CEO of BRBCL. The charge cited the siphoning of funds that were to be distributed to the farmers for the process of land acquisition.

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand for promised compensation

Complaint against procedural violations

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Urban and Rural

Type of Land

Common and Private

Type of Common Land

Forest and Non-Forest

Total investment involved (in Crores):

7998

Type of investment:

Cost of Project

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

10

Has the Conflict Ended?

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict

Land Acquisition Laws, Other, Case Laws

Legislations/Policies Involved

Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Section 77(2) [If a person does not consent to receiving the compensation, the Collector shall deposit the amount with the Authority]; Section 87 [In case of offences by government departments, the head of the department shall be deemed to be guilty]
Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988
Section 13(1)(d) [An abuse of position for pecuniary advantage amounts to criminal misconduct by a public servant]
Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 420 [Punishment for cheating]; Section 467 [Forgery of valuable security]
NTPC Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) Policy, 2010
Section 2.3.4.1 [Payment of annuity as a form of rehabilitation through financial institutions]
Kanwal Tanuj vs The State of Bihar (Crim. Appeal No. 414 of 2020, Supreme Court)
  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:

Controversial land acquisition by the government

Non-payment of compensation/promised compensation

Non-implementation/violation of LARR Act

Delay in compensation

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)

High Court of Bihar at Patna, Supreme Court of India

Case Number

Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.14391 of 2019, Criminal Appeal No. 414 of 2020

Main Reasoning/Decision of court

On July 2019, the Patna high court dismissed a writ application requesting annuity payments under the 2010 NTPC Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy on the ground that the representations must be made before the district magistrate, Aurangabad. On April 24, 2020, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition filed by the district magistrate, Aurangabad, for quashing of the charges of cheating and corruption against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The court noted that there had been large-scale siphoning of funds pertaining to the land acquisition for the Nabinagar power plant. The criminal trial of the district magistrate is pending.

Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:

No items found.

Whether criminal law was used against protestors:

Reported Details of the Violation:

None

Date of Violation

Location of Violation

Nature of Protest

Complaints/petitions/letters/memorandums to officials

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Bihar Government

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Bharatiya Rail Bijlee Company Limited, National Thermal Power Corporation Limited

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

Nabinagar Power Generation Company Private Limited

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Farmers, Visthapit Kishan Majdoor Kalyan Samiti

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 Bihar

cross
Not a member yet?
Sign up now