Maharashtra
Bhiwandi
,
Govegaon
,
Thane
Published :
May 2020
|
Updated :
Govegaon Residents in Maharashtra Say No to Metro Car Shed
Reported by
Varsha Torgalkar
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Edited by
Anupa Kujur
Households affected
480
People affected
2018
Year started
36
Land area affected
Households affected
480
People Affected
2018
Year started
36
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Other Kind of Infrastructure
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Other Kind of Infrastructure
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

More than 100 families in Govegoan village in Thane have opposed the construction of a car shed as part of Line 5 of the ThaneBhiwandiKalyan Metro project. The proposed car shed will come up on 36 hectares of land. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will construct the metro line.  According to a news report, residents of the village, who have organised themselves under the KonGove Sangharsh Samiti, held a press conference on October 12, 2019. In 2018, the MMRDA sent us notices to acquire the land for a car shed. The villagers have houses and shops on this land. They are not ready to give up their land as they will lose their source of income, the residents told journalists. They also sent a letter to the MMRDA listing their grievances. Pandharinath Bhoir, secretary of the Samiti, reiterated that the people are not against the Metro project but demand that the government acquire land elsewhere. There is a plot of government land nearby, and the MMRDA can develop the car shed there, he says. Their unwillingness to part with the land also stems from the low compensation that the MMRDA has offered. According to Bhoir, the compensation should at least match the market value. LCW tried to speak to the affected people but failed to get access to their contact details.
According to a media report, B.G. Pawar, joint metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA, said, We have heard that the villagers are not happy with the compensation. The land acquisition will be carried out as per the provisions of the LARR Act, and compensation will be given accordingly. We will examine the situation and hear the concerns of the villagers. The residents claim that the village land was acquired by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) in 1979 to develop it into an industrial area. But the company refused to compensate the villagers settled on the land. The affected villagers approached the Bombay high court,** which ordered the MIDC **to return the land. They finally got their land back in 201112. The villagers say that two generations of their families have fought for the land, which is why they are not willing to give it up so easily. Metro Line 5 is expected to benefit more than 2.9 lakh people and will cut the travel time between Thane and Kalyan by 40 minutes. The metro stations will have connectivity to autorickshaw and bus stands.

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand for more compensation than promised

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Car shed should not be constructed on the village land and MMRDA should find another plot.

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?

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):

Type of investment:

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

No

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

4
Additional Information

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Yes

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:

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
Varsha Torgalkar

Varsha is an independent journalist based out of Pune. She covers travel, social justice, gender and climate change for national and international news publications. She has written extensively on the agrarian crisis in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions and is interested in rural journalism. She holds a diploma in journalism and a Master’s degree in Political Science from Pune University. Varsha is an avid trekker and has successfully scaled Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Circuit Trek and Goecha La.

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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Refusal to give up land for the project

Demand for more compensation than promised

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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