Residents of Chimbel village near Goa's capital Panaji have opposed the state government's plans to set up an Information Technology (IT) park on 45ha of government land in the village. The land was under the possession of the state health services department and was later transferred to the IT department.
The opposition began in 2016 when the IT park was first proposed. The residents have raised their concerns in Village Assembly meetings many times since. In 2017, the Village Assembly passed a resolution urging the state government to move the project to some other location outside the village.
According to the residents, the site proposed for the IT park is a wetland near a lake and is ecologically sensitive. They demand that it should be preserved as a heritage site. The land also includes paddy fields cultivated by the villagers. They say they are not opposed to an IT park in the state, which is facing severe unemployment, but urge that it should be built outside the village and that the land proposed for the IT park be developed into an agricultural project instead. They have also asked the government for a white paper on the project to understand its importance.
Their opposition intensified in 2018 after the state government renewed its push for the project, with active backing from Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and IT Minister Rohan Khaunte. In October 2018, a public meeting was called by the villagers. Following the meeting, Khaunte warned that action would be taken against those misleading the people. He said the project will have a zero-carbon footprint and that only a tenth of the total allocated land area will be used.
In November 2018, one of the village residents, Pravin Chopdekar, who was opposed to the park, was assaulted by unidentified men. He claimed he was attacked because he opposed the project. Khaunte responded to the attack saying that Chopdekar was not an activist but an extortionist working for a rival politician. On November 30, the Goa Police arrested three persons in connection with the assault.
Following the incident, a special Village Assembly meeting was convened on December 9, 2018, at the request of the villagers to debate the project and take a vote in favour of or against it. The meeting, held under heavy police protection, lasted several hours and witnessed heated debates between the elected members of the Village Assembly who were in favour of the project and the villagers who were opposed to it. Eventually, the votes in favour of the project outnumbered those against it. The opposing villagers alleged that the voting was rigged under political pressure.
The demand of the local people has been supported by environmentalists in the state as well as by Anthony Fernandes, a politician from the opposition Congress Party. But the state government has remained resolute in its plans and has dismissed the opposition as baseless.
On January 5, 2019, the IT department presented a detailed plan of the proposed park to the Village Assembly and sought its feedback. In March 2019, the government accorded the Integrated Information Technology Township status to the proposed IT Park area in Chimbel. The decision was followed by protests by locals. In June 2019, the residents unanimously rejected the proposal and decided to write to the Infotech Corporation of Goa Ltd to remove the fencing around the land for the proposed project, failing which the panchayat will remove the fencing.
In 2019, the Chimbel Gram Seva Kala Ani Sunskrutik Manch, along with the Goa Foundation filed a PIL in High Court (PIL 41/2019) demanding the project should be scrapped, alleging that the project is a threat to the lake and has no statutory clearances. The final hearing for the case is pending.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Opposition against environmental degradation
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Urban
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
Project stalled
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Agricultural land, Religious/Sacred/Cultural value
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Data Unavailable
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
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.
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)
High Court of Bombay (at Goa)
Case Number
PIL WP NO. 41 OF 2019
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Physical attack
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
In November 2019, one activist was assaulted by unidentified persons.
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Department of Information Technology, Village Panchayat of Chimbel
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Infotech Corporation of Goa Ltd.
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:
Gakuved Federation, Chimbel Gram Seva Kala Ani Sanskrutik Manch
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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