In 2009, Welspun Energy Madhya Pradesh Limited (WEMPL) proposed to set up a thermal power plant with a capacity of 1,980 megawatt in Bujbuja and Dokaria villages in Katni district. The company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the state government in November 2009.
Nearly 350 farmers who will lose their fertile land for the project are opposing it. The project prompted a mass protest in 2012 by some 100 people, along with former Janata Dal (United) member Saroj Bachchan Nayak. The issue escalated when a woman, identified as Sunia Bai, immolated herself, alleging that the government had threatened to forcefully acquire her land. The Madhya Pradesh police responded with lathi charge and arrested 12 villagers and Nayak. During the protest, the people demanded the return of acquired land and the transfer of the tehsildar and police who took coercive steps against the protesters. They also threatened to immolate themselves if their land was acquired forcefully.
According to a news report, a public interest litigation was filed by Durga Patel, who alleged that the company had faked the presence of 21 villagers in public meetings to mobilise support for setting up of the plant, even though they had died several years ago. Patel submitted the death certificates of those villagers in her petition. She also gave the names of 70 other villagers residing outside Bujbuja, who were invited to the public meetings to bolster the numbers in favour of Welspun. This, the petitioner believed, overshadowed the genuine grievances of people to portray that they supported the setting up of the plant. The court dismissed the petition in 2016.
The villagers continue to agitate against the company. They fear that Welspun is not just trying to acquire their land but also their resources, especially water. The project site is only 10 kilometres away from the buffer zone of Bandhavgarh National Park, which can suffer ecological damage due to the drainage of effluents coming out of the power plant through the Mahanadi River.
According to the Central Electricity Authority report on March 31, 2019, the project is not yet complete.
Rajkumar Sinha of the National Alliance of People's Movements informed LCW on October 11, 2019 that around 100 people had staged a sit-in protest in Bhopal on July 19, 2019, and in Delhi on September 19, 2019. The acquisition process for most of the land is complete, barring 500 acres which is still held by some villagers. However, the officials are yet to take physical possession of the land. The farmers have so far refused to accept compensation for the land acquired and have instead demanded the return of their land.
As of July 13, 2020, people were cultivating the acquired land, Sinha informed.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Complaint against procedural violations
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Return of the acquired land
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Both
Non-Forest (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
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):
₹
19200
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
2015
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:
Violation of free prior informed consent
Controversial land acquisition by the government
Use of old/outdated laws
Forced evictions/dispossession of land
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Disposed
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
High Court of Madhya Pradesh
Case Number
W.P.No. 8016 of 2012, R.P. No. 338 of 2016
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Arrest/detention/imprisonment
Lathicharge/teargas/pellets
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
In November 2012, a protest by around 100 people escalated when a woman immolated herself. The Madhya Pradesh police responded with lathi charge and arrested 12 villagers.
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Katni, Madhya Pradesh
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board
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:
Welspun Energy Ltd.
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Farmers of Bujbuja and Dokaria villages
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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