Tripura
Dumboor Reservoir, Gandachera sub-division
,
Gandachera
,
Dhalai
Published : 12 July, 2014   |   Last updated - 24 Jun, 2024
Protests against Dumboor lake privatisation in Tripura
Reported by
East Street Journal Asia
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Updated by
Anupa Kujur
3125
Households affected
15000
People Affected
2024
Year started
4500
Land area affected
3125
Households affected
15000
People Affected
2024
Year started
4500
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Water Management
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

On 17 February 2024, several left-wing organisations protested the privatisation of the Dumboor reservoir, situated in the Dhalai district of Tripura. They demanded the cancellation of a lease agreement with a private company, SN Aqua Agro Pvt Ltd, that took over 4,500 hectares of land, including the reservoir, for aquaculture development.

The move has sparked criticism and accusations of jeopardising the livelihoods of about 15,000 local fishermen. Dumboor Lake, spanning over 3,049 hectares, is a vital resource for commercial fish farming and tourism. Constructed in 1974, the Dumboor reservoir is situated in the Dhalai and Gomati districts of Tripura to generate hydroelectric power.

During the protest, former MLA Sudhan Das alleged that the state government and the Autonomous District Council (ADC) administration had handed over the entire Dumbur water body to a private company without consulting or informing the stakeholders. He recalled the distressing events of the 1970s when many tribal families were forcibly displaced from large areas, including Bulongbasa and Raima, to make way for the construction of the Dumboor dam in the name of a hydropower project. With their houses destroyed and individuals not adequately compensated or rehabilitated, locals took to fishing.

The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), led by the principal opposition party TIPRA Motha, found itself mired in controversy as CPIM's SC and Tribal wing staged protests in Agartala city, criticising the decision.

The fishery department of Tripura stated that the project aims to increase revenue through a public-private partnership while ensuring the welfare of fishermen and utilising local manpower. Executive Member Fishery Rajesh Tripura emphasised that stringent conditions were imposed on the investor agency to benefit local fishermen and outlined plans for enhancing fish production and providing financial assistance.

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Complaint against procedural violations

Demand to cancel the project

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common

Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)

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?

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

Water bodies, Fishing, Government or community-regulated urban commons, Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

Type of investment:

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
East Street Journal Asia

Tripura

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

Complaint against procedural violations

Demand to cancel the project

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Protests against Dumboor lake privatisation in Tripura

Reported by

East Street Journal Asia

Legal Review by

Anmol Gupta

Edited by

Anupa Sagar Kujur

Updated by

Updated by

Published on

July 18, 2024

July 29, 2024

Edited on

July 18, 2024

Sector

Infrastructure

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Water Management

Starting Year

2024

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

4500

ha

Households Affected by Conflict

3125

People Affected by Conflict

15000

State

Tripura

Sector

Infrastructure

People Affected by Conflict

15000

Households Affected by Conflict

3125

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

4500

ha

Starting Year

2024

Location of Conflict

Gandachera

Dumboor Reservoir, Gandachera sub-division

Dhalai

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Water Management

Land Conflict Summary

On 17 February 2024, several left-wing organisations protested the privatisation of the Dumboor reservoir, situated in the Dhalai district of Tripura. They demanded the cancellation of a lease agreement with a private company, SN Aqua Agro Pvt Ltd, that took over 4,500 hectares of land, including the reservoir, for aquaculture development.

The move has sparked criticism and accusations of jeopardising the livelihoods of about 15,000 local fishermen. Dumboor Lake, spanning over 3,049 hectares, is a vital resource for commercial fish farming and tourism. Constructed in 1974, the Dumboor reservoir is situated in the Dhalai and Gomati districts of Tripura to generate hydroelectric power.

During the protest, former MLA Sudhan Das alleged that the state government and the Autonomous District Council (ADC) administration had handed over the entire Dumbur water body to a private company without consulting or informing the stakeholders. He recalled the distressing events of the 1970s when many tribal families were forcibly displaced from large areas, including Bulongbasa and Raima, to make way for the construction of the Dumboor dam in the name of a hydropower project. With their houses destroyed and individuals not adequately compensated or rehabilitated, locals took to fishing.

The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), led by the principal opposition party TIPRA Motha, found itself mired in controversy as CPIM's SC and Tribal wing staged protests in Agartala city, criticising the decision.

The fishery department of Tripura stated that the project aims to increase revenue through a public-private partnership while ensuring the welfare of fishermen and utilising local manpower. Executive Member Fishery Rajesh Tripura emphasised that stringent conditions were imposed on the investor agency to benefit local fishermen and outlined plans for enhancing fish production and providing financial assistance.

Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Complaint against procedural violations

Demand to cancel the project

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common

Type of Common Land

Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)

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

Water bodies, Fishing, Government or community-regulated urban commons, Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

Type of investment:

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

Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017
Rule 4(1)(vii) [Prohibition on any activity that is likely to cause an adverse impact on the wetland ecosystem] Rule 6 [State must identify and prepare a list of wetlands to be protected]
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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:

Violation of environmental laws

Non-consultation with stakeholders

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:

No items found.

Reported Details of the Violation:

Date of Violation

Location of Violation

Additional Information

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), Fishery Department of Tripura

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:

SN Aqua Agro Pvt. Ltd

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Fishermen’s Union, Scheduled Castes Coordination Committee and Gana Mukti Parishad (GMP)

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

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Image Credit:  

Video

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