Madhya Pradesh
Chirmikheda, Diken and Khatikheda
,
Bhagwanpura
,
Neemuch
Published : 12 July, 2014   |   Last updated - 24 Jun, 2024
Nomadic communities driven to abject poverty by the Welspun Solar MP Project
Reported by
Soumya Pandey
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Updated by
Anupa Kujur
Households affected
70
People Affected
Year started
305
Land area affected
Households affected
70
People Affected
Year started
305
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Power
Reason/Cause of conflict
Renewable Power
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

In 2014, Narendra Modi inaugurated one of Indias largest solar power plants in the Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh. Operated by Welspun Energy Limited (WEL), the 151 MW project was expected to supply power to 6.24 lakh homes in the state. For the local population however, the plant has pushed them towards poverty in the absence of compensation for acquired land and a failure to follow through on the promise of increased employment for the locals at the plant. 

A campaign raising concerns around land rights of these villagers with respect to the land acquisition for the Welspun Solar Plant was met with a crackdown on the 15 villagers who launched the campaign in the form of false charges of theft and 40 days in jail.

Villagers, mostly consisting of Adivasi communities of Gurjars and Bhils, whose land has been acquired under the project have been made to wait for the compensation despite proof of land ownership documents. Moreover, the tribal communities of the area that were dependent on this land to graze their cattle and grow their crops have also been left in a lurch in the absence of any compensatory land. 

While the plant authorities had promised increased employment for the local populations, most of the workers on the plant have been brought from outside. The plant authorities and government officials have failed in fulfilling promises made to the locals.

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for promised compensation

Demand for employment

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

They demand that arrears of the salary of those who worked on the project be paid as soon as possible.

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common

Non-Forest (Grazing Land)

What was the action taken by the police?

Arrest

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

15

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Undergoing trial

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

Don't know

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

Indian Penal Code, 1860

Section 378, 379

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

Whether the Project has been Delayed

No

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Grazing

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

No

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

1100

Type of investment:

Cost of Project

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

No

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

Author
Reported by
Soumya Pandey

Madhya Pradesh

Kumar Sambhav is a social entrepreneur and award-winning journalist, leading innovative research in accountability investigations. He is the founder of Land Conflict Watch and is currently working as India Research Lead with Princeton University’s Digital Witness Lab.

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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for promised compensation

Demand for employment

Nomadic communities driven to abject poverty by the Welspun Solar MP Project

Reported by

Soumya Pandey

Legal Review by

Priyansha Chouhan, Anmol Gupta

Edited by

Radhika Chatterjee

Updated by

Updated by

Published on

August 2, 2023

August 12, 2024

Edited on

August 2, 2023

Sector

Power

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Renewable Power

Starting Year

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

305

ha

Households Affected by Conflict

People Affected by Conflict

70

State

Madhya Pradesh

Sector

Power

People Affected by Conflict

70

Households Affected by Conflict

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

305

ha

Starting Year

Location of Conflict

Bhagwanpura

Chirmikheda, Diken and Khatikheda

Neemuch

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Renewable Power

Land Conflict Summary

In 2014, Narendra Modi inaugurated one of Indias largest solar power plants in the Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh. Operated by Welspun Energy Limited (WEL), the 151 MW project was expected to supply power to 6.24 lakh homes in the state. For the local population however, the plant has pushed them towards poverty in the absence of compensation for acquired land and a failure to follow through on the promise of increased employment for the locals at the plant. 

A campaign raising concerns around land rights of these villagers with respect to the land acquisition for the Welspun Solar Plant was met with a crackdown on the 15 villagers who launched the campaign in the form of false charges of theft and 40 days in jail.

Villagers, mostly consisting of Adivasi communities of Gurjars and Bhils, whose land has been acquired under the project have been made to wait for the compensation despite proof of land ownership documents. Moreover, the tribal communities of the area that were dependent on this land to graze their cattle and grow their crops have also been left in a lurch in the absence of any compensatory land. 

While the plant authorities had promised increased employment for the local populations, most of the workers on the plant have been brought from outside. The plant authorities and government officials have failed in fulfilling promises made to the locals.

Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for promised compensation

Demand for employment

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

They demand that arrears of the salary of those who worked on the project be paid as soon as possible.

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common

Type of Common Land

Non-Forest (Grazing Land)

What was the action taken by the police?

Arrest

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

15

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Undergoing trial

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

Don't know

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

Don't know

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

Indian Penal Code, 1860

Section 378, 379

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

Whether the Project has been Delayed

No

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Grazing

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

No

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

1100

Type of investment:

Cost of Project

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

No

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

Legal Data

Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict

Legislations/Policies Involved

Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Section 4(1) [Whenever the Government seeks to acquire land for any public purpose, it shall consult the panchayat in the affected area and conduct a Social Impact Assessment] Section 5 [A public hearing shall be conducted at the affected area to ascertain the views of the affected families, which shall be recorded in the SIA Report] Section 23 [Collector to pass an award for compensation of land in accordance with certain parameters] Section 26 [Collector to determine market value of land by assessing consented amount of compensation agreed upon] Section 28 [Parameters used by Collector in determination of award to include market value as under Section 26]
Madhya Pradesh Renewable Energy Policy, 2022
Point 5.1 [To implement the strategy outlined in the policy, the state government will offer incentives to communities such as concessional lease rent for government land, subsidies, etc.] Point 11 [Other incentives include providing renewable energy to villages. The policy mentions that RE power plants should be developed either with community-based approach by village residents or on barren lands by developers.]
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Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute

No

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:

Delay in compensation

Non-payment of compensation/promised compensation

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:

Arrest/detention/imprisonment

Blackmail/threats/intimidation

Financial harassment

Reported Details of the Violation:

Around 15 villagers who had launched a campaign on land rights were arrested under false charges of theft and were jailed up to 40 days.

Date of Violation

Location of Violation

Additional Information

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

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:

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

No

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Information on the use of criminal law

What was the action taken by the police?

Arrest

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

15

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Undergoing trial

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

Don't know

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

Indian Penal Code, 1860

Section 378, 379

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

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Image Credit:  

Video

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