The Union government envisioned the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project in various phases in an influence zone of around 150-200 kilometres on either side of the Delhi Mumbai Freight Corridor. Under the project, the Dighi Port Industrial Area will be developed as a new industrial and integrated township across the Delhi-Mumbai Freight Corridor. In Raigad district, 12,000 hectares of land across 78 villages were notified for the project by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).
Since the proposal, farmers from 78 villages in Mangaon, Roha and Tala tehsils in Raigad have been protesting against the alleged forceful land acquisition for the project. Farmers complain that the project will displace a huge population and cause loss of agricultural land and other natural resources.
In April 2016, the National Alliance of People’s Movements held a two-day convention with several other organisations. The purpose was to call out what they refer to as the “corporate corridorisation of India”. They further claim that when notifications were issued for land acquisition, there was no rehabilitation and resettlement plan for the community.
Speaking to the media, Ulka Mahajan from Sarvahara Jan Andolan said that the project will render farmers landless and will also take away their livelihood. "To prevent this, all the panchayats have resolved to not give up their land. Despite this, the state government is going ahead with the acquisition without due consent of the land owners," she added.
In view of the strong opposition, it was reported that the DMIC Development Corporation Limited decided to scrap the Dighi Port Industrial Area project.
In 2019, it was reported that Vijay Kalantri, the chairperson and managing director of Dighi Port, owed approximately INR 3,074 crore to a consortium of 18 lenders, led by Bank of India, to develop the port. The Union government declared him a willful defaulter. The port has currently been declared bankrupt. There are news reports suggesting private bidding to acquire the port.
In March 2020, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited made the highest bid for the port project. As of June 2020, the port was in the process of acquisition.
On 15 February 2021, the Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones Limited took over the bankrupted Dighi Project Limited. A year later, further corrigendum to EC & CRZ clearance was issued on 27 January 2022 mentioning the berth dimensions.
In 2022, Adani sought the Centre’s permission to reclaim an additional 304 hectares from the adjoining Arabian Sea and Rajapuri creek to expand its operations. On 16 September 2022, while recommending for environmental clearance, the MoEFCC also granted terms of reference to the port’s expansion proposal.
An environmental impact assessment (EIA) study was expected to be carried out. However, as of November 2023, there was no information available on the MoEFCC website.
Meanwhile, activist Ulka Mahajan, who is leading the Sarvahara Jan Andolan, told LCW, "The Dighi Port Industrial Area initially wanted to acquire land spread across 78 villages, but after the protests by farmers and villagers, the plans have not been executed. The DPIA is sending individual farmers notices to acquire their land."
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Refusal to give up land for the project
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Private
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 underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence, Agricultural land
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
1000
Type of investment:
Investment Made
Year of Estimation
2016
Has the Conflict Ended?
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Land Acquisition Laws, Central/State Government Policy
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-implementation/violation of LARR Act
Violation of free prior informed consent
Forced evictions/dispossession of land
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:
No
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotions, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
DMIC
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Local farmers
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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