Reported by
Legal Review by
Edited by
Updated by
Published on
October 17, 2016
May 17, 2022
Edited on
October 17, 2016
Land Area Affected (in Hectares)
Starting Year
Mahadev Ghat
Bhathagaon, Raipura, Sarona, Chandandih, Atari, Hathbandh, Gomchi, Guma and Bana villages from Raipur district, and Khudmuda, Amleshwar, Bhothali, Magarghata, Kumhari, Kapasda and Akola in Durg district
Raipur
Tourism
As part of the Raipur Master Plan, the Chhattisgarh government has planned the Kharun Riverfront Development Project. The project is modelled on the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project in Gujarat and would spread over the riverbank in Raipur and Durg districts. To this end, the government announced an integrated plan in September 2015. In the same year, the survey work for the project also started. The proposed project will require over 1,100 hectares of land from 22 villages, which would affect the lives of at least 50 per cent of the population. The local people and civil society outfits have opposed the project and said that the state planned it without studying the impact on the ecosystem. In January 2016, farmers from the villages on both sides of the river organised themselves under the banner of Rashtriya Kisan Kranti Morcha (RKKM) to oppose the land acquisition for the project. They claimed that they did not receive prior information about the project and also objected to the low rate of compensation. In the same month, the chief minister informed the State Assembly that the government did not plan to acquire private land and would only use government land for the project. But the RKKM president accused the state government of acquiring cultivable land, which formed 76 per cent of the project land. In March, the affected farmers organised a protest at Mahadev Ghat in Raipur. Since then, there have been multiple organised rallies, panchayat meetings, jal satyagrahas as well as FIRs. As a result, the Raipur Development Authority decided to set up a separate body to manage the development project, namely Special Area Development Authority (SADA). However, the protests ended after the state government suspended the project and decided not to formulate SADA. The decision reportedly came in response to the high compensatory cost for over 900 hectares of private land. But this did not put a complete stop to other projectrelated activities. According to a 2017 academic research paper (see attached documents), the riverfront development would lead to changes in the landuse pattern of the project area. It would restrict access to water bodies and impact the livelihoods of people dependent on the river. The project proposed to tackle the pollution of the river caused by the unregulated drainage of sewage. However, the villagers, experts and activists fear that the development is only purposed for commercial and tourist gains and would further degrade the river and intrude upon its natural course. Therefore, they raised concerns about the ecological, economic and social implications of the project. They widely argued that the government should divert its focus to conserving the river and consider the interests of the communities residing on its banks. Following the election of the new state government in December 2018, the project again picked up pace after almost three years. In September 2020, the administration announced a plan to construct a bridge to connect the villages on either side of the river. The administration envisions the bridge to be like a marine drive, spread over nine kilometres between Mahadev Ghat and Bhothali village. Earlier in the year, the planning committee visited the riverfront with other state officials and proposed the area for construction. They also plan to beautify and increase the green cover.
Opposition against environmental degradation
Refusal to give up land for the project
Demand for more compensation than promised
Urban and Rural
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?
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):
₹
2000
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
Land Acquisition Laws, 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.
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:
Controversial land acquisition by the government
Non-implmentation/violation of PESA
Non-implementation/violation of LARR Act
Violation of free prior informed consent
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:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Nature of Protest
Protests/marches
Complaints/petitions/letters/memorandums to officials
Development of a network or collective
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Raipur District Administration, Raipur Development Authority
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
WAPCOS Limited
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Beyond Built Private Limited
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Kisan Kranti Morcha, Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan, Nadi Ghati Morcha
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?
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