Reported by
Published on
June 14, 2017
June 14, 2017
Updated on
June 14, 2017
Residents of Amdai, a settlement on the outskirts of Sanguem town in South Goa, have been opposing a large brewery and distillery factory proposed in their area since 2016. The factory is promoted by Vani Agro Farms, a New Delhibased company that has permission to produce up to five crore litres of beer every year, besides other spirits. The project is located near Uguem River, which is a lifeline for Amdai as well as for the settlements of Uguem village downstream of the proposed factory. The residents feel that the factory's massive water requirement of five lakh liters per day will dry up the river and their water sources. Although the company has clarified that it would use water from the nearby Salauli Dam, the people are not convinced. They claim to have received some documents using the Right To Information Act, which shows that the brewery has permissions from the government to draw water from the river. The people are also agitated that the factory is coming up on a coconut orchard and entails cutting nearly 500 coconut trees. The residents allege that Goa's infamous 2015 amendment to the Goa, Daman and Diu Preservation of Trees Act, 1984, which removed coconut from the list of protected trees, was done specifically to favour this brewery. In response to various news reports, Vani Agro has denied any connection with the coconut amendment but has admitted that because of it, it does not require any permissions for cutting the coconut trees. The residents are also angry that the government declared the factory land as an "Investment Promotion Area" under the Goa Investment Promotion Act, 2014, which takes away the panchayat's powers to veto the project. The residents say that being a "red category" industry, a brewery cannot come up on orchard land as per Goa's zoning laws. The villagers, along with the nonprofit Goa Foundation, filed a writ petition before the Bombay high court, seeking the project's clearance by the Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board to be cancelled as it is a 'Red' category industry. The petition also challenged the Town and Country Planning Department's decision to convert the land use from 'Orchard' to 'Industry'. In April 2017, the coalition government in Goa considered reversing the coconut tree amendment and also reviewing all decisions given by the Board. Subsequently, the project was kept on hold until the government reviewed it. In 2018, the Board, chaired by then Chief Minister (now deceased) Manohar Parrikar decided to review the project through an external consultant. Since then, the project has been on hold.
Opposition against environmental degradation
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Rural
Private
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
138
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
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
Other, Environmental Laws
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.
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
Disposed
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
High Court of Bombay at Goa
Case Number
PILWP 22/2016
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
Nature of Protest
Complaints/petitions/letters/memorandums to officials
Advocacy (for inclusion in courts)
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board
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:
Vani Agro Farms Private Limited
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Goa Foundation
Image Credit:
Image Credit:
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