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Maharashtra Government Completes Land Acquisition for Samruddhi Corridor, Farmers Allege Foul Play

Reported by

Prerna Chaurashe

Legal Review by

Edited by

Updated by

Published on

September 19, 2016

May 17, 2022

Edited on

September 19, 2016

State

Maharashtra

Sector

Infrastructure

People Affected by Conflict

160000

Households Affected by Conflict

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

8311

ha

Starting Year

2016

Location of Conflict

Igatpuri

Nashik

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Roads

Land Conflict Summary

In October 2016, then Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis proposed his ambitious dream project, the NagpurMumbai Expressway, popularly known as the Samruddhi Corridor. The expressway would connect 352 villages in 10 districts and reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur from 14 hours to eight hours. The project also aimed at setting up 24 smart cities at interchanges. The project has become a rallying cry for affected farmers. According to a report, the government had given three options to landowners. The first was to give their land under the land pooling scheme where the owners would get 25 per cent of the developed land and annuity for 10 years. The second option was to buy back their developed land after 10 years. The third option was of direct purchase, through a sale agreement with the government where the landowner would get 25 per cent above the compensation rate. But if the landowner chose neither option, his land would be forcefully acquired. Farmers from the 10 districts have come together to form the Samruddhi Mahamarg Shetkari Sangharsh Samiti. They say they have been misinformed about the compensation, alleging they were promised compensation under the LARR Act, 2013, while the land was acquired under the Maharashtra Highways Act, 1955. Due to this discrepancy, the farmers say they are unable to bargain for employment or subsistence allowance. It should be noted that under the Maharashtra Highways Act, the government can avoid the social impact assessment studies for the project and rehabilitation of the projectaffected people, which will help expedite the land acquisition process. In 2017, protests turned violent in Nashik village when officials visited with 600 police personnel to guard the land while measuring the area. Farmers claimed that the police carried out lathicharge against protesters and registered criminal cases against protesting youths. Despite the protests, in June 2019, the state government completed the land acquisition process. It released INR 6,000 crore as compensation for the 23,500 projectaffected people. The expressway is expected to be completed in 2021. As of 2020, 40 per cent of the work had been completed.

Fact Sheet

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

Both

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

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

55335

Type of investment:

Revised Investment

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

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

Legislations/Policies Involved

Maharashtra Highways Act, 1955
Section 15 [The Highway Authority may receive any land required for the purposes of this Act by requesting the state government to acquire the land]; Section 16 [Upon issuing a notification declaring the intent to acquire land, the Land Acquisition Officer may enter and survey any land]; Section 17 [Any person interested in the land sought to be acquired can file objections to the Land Acquisition Officer in writing]; Section 18 [Where all the objections have been addressed, a declaration can be made that the land has been acquired for public purposes. The land shall therein vest absolutely in the state government, free from all encumbrances]
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Section 2 [The provisions of this Act shall apply when the Union government acquires land for public purpose, including infrastructure projects]
  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:

Constitutional inconsistencies between state and Union land laws

Controversial land acquisition by the government

Incorrect estimation of compensation

Legal Status:

Out of Court

Status of Case In Court

Whether any adjudicatory body was approached

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:

Judicial harassment

Whether criminal law was used against protestors:

Yes

Reported Details of the Violation:

In 2017, protests turned violent when officials visited with 600 police personnel to guard the land while measuring the area. Farmers alleged that the police carried out lathi-charge against protesters and registered criminal cases against protesting youths.

Date of Violation

Location of Violation

Nashik village

Additional Information

Nature of Protest

Complaints/petitions/letters/memorandums to officials

Development of a network or collective

Protests/marches

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC)

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

Construction Industry Development Board (Malaysia)

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Samruddhi Mahamarg Shetkari Sangharsh 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

In October 2016, then Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis proposed his ambitious dream project, the NagpurMumbai Expressway, popularly known as the Samruddhi Corridor. The expressway would connect 352 villages in 10 districts and reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur from 14 hours to eight hours. The project also aimed at setting up 24 smart cities at interchanges. The project has become a rallying cry for affected farmers. According to a report, the government had given three options to landowners. The first was to give their land under the land pooling scheme where the owners would get 25 per cent of the developed land and annuity for 10 years. The second option was to buy back their developed land after 10 years. The third option was of direct purchase, through a sale agreement with the government where the landowner would get 25 per cent above the compensation rate. But if the landowner chose neither option, his land would be forcefully acquired. Farmers from the 10 districts have come together to form the Samruddhi Mahamarg Shetkari Sangharsh Samiti. They say they have been misinformed about the compensation, alleging they were promised compensation under the LARR Act, 2013, while the land was acquired under the Maharashtra Highways Act, 1955. Due to this discrepancy, the farmers say they are unable to bargain for employment or subsistence allowance. It should be noted that under the Maharashtra Highways Act, the government can avoid the social impact assessment studies for the project and rehabilitation of the projectaffected people, which will help expedite the land acquisition process. In 2017, protests turned violent in Nashik village when officials visited with 600 police personnel to guard the land while measuring the area. Farmers claimed that the police carried out lathicharge against protesters and registered criminal cases against protesting youths. Despite the protests, in June 2019, the state government completed the land acquisition process. It released INR 6,000 crore as compensation for the 23,500 projectaffected people. The expressway is expected to be completed in 2021. As of 2020, 40 per cent of the work had been completed.

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

Both

Type of Common Land

Forest and Non-Forest

Total investment involved (in Crores):

55335

Type of investment:

Revised Investment

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

Maharashtra Highways Act, 1955
Section 15 [The Highway Authority may receive any land required for the purposes of this Act by requesting the state government to acquire the land]; Section 16 [Upon issuing a notification declaring the intent to acquire land, the Land Acquisition Officer may enter and survey any land]; Section 17 [Any person interested in the land sought to be acquired can file objections to the Land Acquisition Officer in writing]; Section 18 [Where all the objections have been addressed, a declaration can be made that the land has been acquired for public purposes. The land shall therein vest absolutely in the state government, free from all encumbrances]
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Section 2 [The provisions of this Act shall apply when the Union government acquires land for public purpose, including infrastructure projects]
  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:

Constitutional inconsistencies between state and Union land laws

Controversial land acquisition by the government

Incorrect estimation of compensation

Legal Status:

Out of Court

Status of Case In Court

Whether any adjudicatory body was approached

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:

Judicial harassment

Whether criminal law was used against protestors:

Yes

Reported Details of the Violation:

In 2017, protests turned violent when officials visited with 600 police personnel to guard the land while measuring the area. Farmers alleged that the police carried out lathi-charge against protesters and registered criminal cases against protesting youths.

Date of Violation

Location of Violation

Nashik village

Nature of Protest

Complaints/petitions/letters/memorandums to officials

Development of a network or collective

Protests/marches

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC)

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

Construction Industry Development Board (Malaysia)

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Samruddhi Mahamarg Shetkari Sangharsh 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

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