The Green Pharma City project, planned within 40 kilometres of Hyderabad, involves the acquisition of 19,333 acres of land in Ranga Reddy district. The project is expected to create 5.6 lakh direct and indirect job opportunities, with an estimated investment of INR 16,784 crore. Apart from bulk drug manufacturing companies, there is a proposal to set up a pharma university as part of the project. Farmers in 20 villages would lose their landholdings. The Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation started land acquisition in 2016. The primary contention of the farmers is that they are being compensated at rates much lower than the prevailing market rate. While the cost per acre for Yacharam tehsil is INR 7.5 lakh, the market price is INR 22.5 lakh. The market price goes up to more than INR 80 lakh per acre in Kandukur tehsil. Moreover, violating the Supreme Court's judgement in the Mekala Pandu case, the government has also been compensating assigned lands and _patta _lands at different rates. Another issue has been the opaqueness in the acquisition process. The acquisition notification had to be obtained through an RTI application. The unavailability of information has impaired the process of challenging environmental clearances (EC) within 90 days. Even in the process of compensation, there have been multiple inadequacies in that compensation was paid to the wrong people and that 18yearolds, as adults, were considered ineligible for compensation. There have also been multiple concerns about pollution, which is not stated precisely in the EC report. All this has instilled the fear of forced displacement once the industries are operational. In response to a petition by eight farmers cultivating government assigned lands from Kurmidda village, the Telangana high court stayed the land acquisition process in September 2016. In May 2018, an expert appraisal committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change recommended granting EC to the project, on the condition that land is acquired with the suitable compensation and the consent of land owners. Local activists say the authorities are, however, going ahead with land acquisition in violation of court orders by resorting to threats and spreading misinformation. Some farmers who had earlier surrendered their lands began tilling them again in 2019, contending that the project had not made any progress and that the compensation has been highly inadequate. In October 2020, when a meeting regarding the Pharma City project was held by officials, villagers flung chairs and raised slogans, enraged by the opacity of the process and their exclusion from it. This led to the police intervening and detaining them. As recently as February 2021, hundreds of farmers from Yacharam and Kadtal tehsils participated in a protest march opposing the project. One of the local organisations, Pharma City Vyatireka Porata Committee, demanded that the government stop the forceful acquisition of lands.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for more compensation than promised
Complaint against procedural violations
Opposition against environmental degradation
Refusal to give up land for the project
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Both
Forest and Non-Forest, Non-Forest (Grazing Land), 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
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):
₹
16784
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Land Acquisition Laws, Environmental Laws
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:
Constitutional inconsistencies between state and Union land laws
Incorrect estimation of compensation
Non-implementation/violation of LARR Act
Violation of free prior informed consent
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
High Court for the State of Telangana
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Arrest/detention/imprisonment
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Assigned lands were taken over through threats; protesters were arrested for staging a road block
Date of Violation
October 17, 2020
Location of Violation
Yacharam tehsil
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC), Revenue Department, Roads & Buildings Department
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
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:
Communist Party of India (Marxist), Pharma City Vyatireka Porata Committee, Telangana Rashtra Samithi
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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