Bihar
,
Marhaura
,
Saran
Published :
Dec 2016
|
Updated :
Farmers Demand Compensation for Diesel Locomotive Factory in Bihar, Accuse Officers of Bribery
Reported by
Alok
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Edited by
Anupa Kujur
Households affected
550
People affected
2008
Year started
92
Land area affected
Households affected
550
People Affected
2008
Year started
92
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Railways
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Railways
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

The Marhaura Diesel Locomotive project in Saran district was announced in 20062007 and notified as a special railway project on February 19, 2008. In 2015, the railway minister awarded the contract for setting up the project to General Electric (GE), a USbased multinational transport giant. The project has been touted as one of the biggest FDI investments in the railways sector. The government has already acquired 226.9 acres of land for the factory. However, the payment of due compensation to those who have renounced their land has been marked by controversy.
The land losers have been alleging inadequate payment of compensation for their land. A 2012 media report noted how railway officers demanded bribes in the form of 'commissions' to facilitate payments. The issue of nonpayment continued to persist over the years. On December 4, 2016, around 280 farmers stalled the construction work. They demanded immediate payment of four times the compensation announced by the government. They also accused the employees of the zonal offices of harassing farmers and demanding bribes to prepare the necessary documents. Subdivisional Officer Sanjay Kumar Rai, Block Development Officer Veer Bahadur Pathak and other officials held talks with the farmers, which according to the report, proved futile. In 2017, when the future of the factory seemed precarious, farmers who had given up their land stated that if the railway minister ordered the closure of the factory then they would carry out protests from their local panchayats, all the way to the capital, New Delhi. However, the factory did not shut down. According to a report in 2020, the first locomotive from the factory came out in February 2019 and since then there has been regular production of 1,000highhorsepower diesel locomotives.

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Complaint against procedural violations

Demand for promised compensation

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Both

Forest and Non-Forest

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):

2052

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?

4
Additional Information

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Bihar government

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Indian Railways

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

General Electric

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

None

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
Alok
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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Complaint against procedural violations

Demand for promised compensation

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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