The Jorhat Public Bus Terminus at Kotoki Pukhuri was inaugurated in 2004 by Late Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. More than five acres of land used for the terminus originally belonged to the Assam State Transport Corporation, which was later allotted to the Jorhat Development Authority (JDA). Initially, a tender was floated for the construction and development of commercial and residential projects at the terminus but was closed following public protests.
On June 30, 2020, another tender was floated to construct a multi-storied commercial-cum-residential apartment building at the bus terminus. The tender was allotted to Jainco Mechanical Construction, a private company in Jorhat. An agreement to this end was signed between the JDA and Jainco on September 14.
RTI activists and advocates have alleged anomalies in the awarding of contract to a private builder. They have claimed violations in the land allotment process, alleging that neither party to the contract took the prior approval of the director, Town and Country Planning, Assam. They fear that the commercial and residential project might lead to the shutdown of the bus terminus. Demanding retention of the terminus, All Assam Students’ Union (Jorhat unit) leader Jul Khound said the terminus was ‘very necessary’ for reducing the growing traffic congestion in the town.
RTI activist Rintu Goswami told the media that the plot of land allotted for the bus terminus cannot be used for purposes other than without the approval of the state government. Further, pointing at clauses of the agreement, Goswami said that of the residential flats, only 20 per cent would be owned by the JDA and the rest by Jainco. These residential flats are entitled to people eligible for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme, a housing scheme for economically weaker sections of the society with no permanent homes. “There is no mention of the PMAY flats in the agreement signed between JDA and Jainco,” Goswami alleged.
In December, protesters from various local organisations -- All Assam Students' Union (Jorhat Unit), Raijor Dal, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, Bir Lachit Sena, Chatra Mukti Sangram Samiti, Sadou Asom Kalita Chatra Sanstha, Anusuchita Jati Chatra Sanstha and Anusuchita Jati Mahila Sanmilani -- protested against the project, forming a human chain at the bus terminus. Saying that the project was not in public interest, the protesters shouted slogans and demanded a probe. They also sent a memorandum to the chief minister seeking cancellation of the project.
Following the protests, Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Roshni A. Korati set up a four-member committee to investigate the alleged ‘anomalies’ by the JDA.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Complaint against procedural violations
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
1) Seeking intervention of the prime minister, chief minister and the speaker of the State Assembly to stop the project 2) Removal of Jorhat Development Authority Chairperson Prasanta Jyoti Goswami
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?
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):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
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.
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:
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)
Gauhati High Court
Case Number
Case No. AB/3698/2020; Linked Case: AB/3706/2020
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Jorhat Development Authority (JDA), Directorate of Town and Country Planning, Assam
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Yes
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
LCW tried to reach out to Nitesh Jain, one of the directors of Jainco Mechanical Construction Private Limited, and other officials, but no valid contact details were found.
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Jainco Mechanical Construction Private Limited
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Yes
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
All Assam Students' Union (Jorhat Unit); Raijor Dal; Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti; Bir Lachit Sena; Chatra Mukti Sangram Samiti; Sadou Asom Kalita Chatra Sanstha; Anusuchita Jati Chatra Sanstha; Anusuchita Jati Mahila Sanmilani
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?
East Street Journal Asia is a multilingual, Web-based news journal. It is an independent media organisation whose goal is to make transparent, unbiased and data-driven journalism accessible to all.
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