Maharashtra
,
Dapchari and Vankas
,
Palghar
Published :
Aug 2017
|
Updated :
Foxconn Deal Scrapped, Relief for Tribal Communities in Maharashtra
Reported by
Jinda Sandbhor
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Edited by
Anupa Kujur
Households affected
7664
People affected
2017
Year started
2766
Land area affected
Households affected
7664
People Affected
2017
Year started
2766
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Industry
Reason/Cause of conflict
Manufacturing
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
Sector
Industry
Reason/Cause of conflict
Manufacturing
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

Between 19601966, the state government had acquired 2,766 hectares of land in Dahanu and Talasari tehsils in Palghar district for a grand "Dapchari Dairy Project", aiming to supply 1.5 lakh litres of milk to Mumbai every day while generating job opportunities for tribal communities. But the project failed due to apprehensions of dairy entrepreneurs to shift outside. According to information from the dairy development department, the government purchased the land from 1,071 tribal families, disbursing a total compensation of INR 39.96 lakh. The state rehabilitated the projectaffected families on 236 hectares of land. In 2015, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis signed an MoU with iPhone manufacturer Foxconn to commit for a USD $5billion investment in the 'Make in Maharashtra' project. Initially, the government had planned to give the company land along the MumbaiPune expressway in Khopoli (Raigad) and Chakan and Talegaon (Pune). However, in 2017, the state considered handing over tribal land in Palghar to Foxconn as the company was more interested in this location due to its proximity to Mumbai. The tribal communities in Palghar opposed this move. According to activists from the Adivasi Ekta Parishad, since the dairy project never took off as planned, the tribal families went back to farming on their land. They say that either the state government should go forward with dairy project or return the land to the families. They are opposed to the private undertaking of the land as they fear the industries will pollute the resources making their livelihood difficult. In November 2018, tribal communities from all over Maharashtra protested against the acquisition of tribal land for various industrial purposes. They claimed that large proportion of tribal land is with the state, due to which they are unable to claim any relief from banks or financial institutions because as they do not have land ownership. The largescale protest concluded after the government promised to look into the matter and vowed to fulfill their demands. Meanwhile, due to diplomatic tensions between India and China, the deal with Foxconn took a backseat. In an article dated October 2019, Girish Kuber, the editor of the leading Marathi daily Lok Satta, said that the Foxconn deal, which was uncertain earlier, had been concluded, although there was no official declaration. In January 2020, the Foxconn deal was scrapped reportedly due to internal issues of the company.

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Opposition against environmental degradation

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Both

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

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

36995

Type of investment:

Investment Expected

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

Yes

When did it end?

January 2020

Why did the conflict end?

4
Additional Information

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Directorate of Industries, Vankas and Dapchari panchayat

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:

Foxconn Technology Group

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Adivasi Ekta Parishad

5
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?

Legal Supporting Documents

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Author
Reported by
Jinda Sandbhor
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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Opposition against environmental degradation

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

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?

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

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