Shamuka Tourism Project in Odisha's Puri to Disrupt Coastal Ecology and Local Livelihoods

Reported by

Sibasish Ray

Legal Data by

Edited by

Updated by

Published on

September 1, 2016

September 1, 2016

Updated on

September 1, 2016

Location of Conflict

Sipasarubali

Puri

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Tourism

(

)

People Affected by Conflict

15000

Households Affected by Conflict

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

1214

ha

Starting Year

1994

State

Odisha

Sector

Industry
Summary
Fact Sheet
Legal Data
Additional
Information
Resources
Images
Videos

The proposed Shamuka Beach Project, touted as India's largest coastal tourism project is set to come up in 3,000 acres of land at Sipasarubali , an administrative area consisting of around twenty villages, located roughly 10km south of Puri town, composed of mainly landless poor.
In 1994, the Odisha High Court directed the state to distribute 214 acres and another 33 acres of ceiling surplus land among the poor along with land titles. Only a few of the families were given pattas, but not the land. Thereafter, the government included this land in its Land Acquisition Programme for the upcoming Samukha Tourism project which is to be carried out in a phased manner and will involve the construction of five star hotels, resorts, golf courses and entertainment centers among others.
This has led to a renewed conflict. For the Shamuka project, 982 acres was decided to be acquired in the Mauza Sipasarubali. The conflict took place when the government instead of complying with Odisha High Court order of 1994, started creating a fence around the land in an area of 1,307 acre. This led to a protest by people from more than 20 villages who united under the banner of Upakuliya Jami O Jangal Suraksha Samithi (UJJSS). They appealed to the government to give them the legal right over the land. Further, in 2015, on account of a petition by green activist Prafulla Samantara, the National Green Tribunal stayed the work on the project due to illegal tree felling and non-compliance of environmental norms under Environmental Protection Act, 1986.
In 2019, after four years, the decision to revive the project was taken by the State government who had already completed the acquisition of around 972 acres of land. This was met with protests by members of the coastal land and forest security samiti (UJJSS) who remarked it to be "anti environment and anti people", on account of it severely disrupting the complex coastal ecology and local livelihoods. They called for the immediate intervention of the Chief Minister.
In 2020, the Orissa government decided to revise the master plan for the project in lieu of the changing ecology of the area. It is set to be developed over three phases of five years each.

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for legal recognition of land rights

Demand for promised land

Complaint against procedural violations

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Urban and Rural

Type of Land

Common

Type of Common Land

Forest and Non-Forest

Total investment involved (in Crores):

₹

3500

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?

Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict

Legislations/Policies Involved

Section 3 [Power of the Central Government to take required measures to abate environmental pollution]
Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006
Section 2 [No construction or preparation of land for a project can be undertaken without an Environment Clearance obtained from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change]; 
Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976
Section 10 [State government to acquire land from persons holding land than the prescribed ceiling limit]
Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991
Section 2(xi) [Prohibition of construction activities in ecologically sensitive areas falling within Coastal Regulation Zones] ]
Orissa Preservation of Private Forests Rules, 1963
Section 3 [Permission of the District Forest Officer to be obtained for felling of trees]
Odisha Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Rules, 2015
Rule 12 [Social Impact Management Plan to include a Rehabilitation and Resettlement matrix] 

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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.

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  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

Yes

What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?

Claim for recognition of land rights and grant of land titles under the Urban Land Ceiling Act, and scrapping of the project due to non-compliance with the EIA notification and other laws.

What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?

Claim for recognition of land rights and grant of land titles under the Urban Land Ceiling Act, and scrapping of the project due to non-compliance with the EIA notification and other laws.

Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:

Violation of environmental laws

Lack of legal protection over land rights

Non-implementation of land ceiling laws

Legal Status:

In Court

Status of Case In Court

Pending

Whether any adjudicatory body was approached

Yes

Name of the adjudicatory body

National Green Tribunal

Name(s) of the Court(s)

Odisha High Court

Case Number

Main Reasoning/Decision of court

In the year 1994, the Odisha High Court had directed the State Government to distribute the surplus land in the villages of the Puri District among the poor families living in these villages. They were to be given pattas to the land as part of the settlement. However, the State Government failed to abide by this order and the surplus land was included in the Land Acquisition Programme for the Shamukha Beach Tourism Project. Subsequently, a petition has been filed before the High Court of Odisha in April, 2020 challenging the Tourism Project on the grounds that the Environmental and Coastal clearances have been obtained illegally. The claim made in the petition is that the proposed area for the project has been granted clearance under the wrong CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) classification and procedures such as public consultations and publication of rehabilitation policies have not been followed.

Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:

No items found.

Whether criminal law was used against protestors:

No

Reported Details of the Violation:

Date of Violation

Location of Violation

Nature of Protest

Advocacy (for inclusion in courts)

Campaigns (grassroots organisations/press releases/media)

Development of a network or collective

Protests/marches

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Government of Odisha Tourism Department, Revenue department of Odisha, Odisha Tourism Development Corporation

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Shamuka Tourism 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:

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Residents of Puri district

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

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Reviewed By

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Updated By

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Edited By

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