Madhya Pradesh
,
Karanjiya
,
Mandla
Published :
Jan 2017
|
Updated :
Farmers Unhappy with Compensation for Halon Irrigation Project in MP, Await Rehabilitation
Reported by
Arpit Deshmukh
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Edited by
Anupa Kujur
Households affected
7570
People affected
2007
Year started
1680
ha.
Land area affected
Households affected
7570
People Affected
2007
Year started
1680
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Irrigation Dam
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Irrigation Dam
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

Halon Irrigation Project is one of the 29 major projects identified in the Narmada Master Plan. The project site is about six kilometres from Sijhora village on NH12A (Jabalpur – Raipur Road). When completed, the project is expected to irrigate 13,040 hectares of land in 46 villages of Ghughari, Bichhiya and Mohgaon blocks of Mandla district. The project envisages the construction of a 31metrehigh and 993metrelong composite gravity dam across the Halon river, a subtributary of the Narmada near Karanjiya village, with an estimated cost of INR 278.96 crore. The reservoir will be spread over an area of about 16.80 square kilometres and will create storage of 146.08 million cubic metres. Around 10 villages in Balaghat and five villages in Mandla districts will be partially submerged. Around 1413.02 hectares of private land, 157.29 hectares of revenue land and 109.80 hectares of forestland will come under submergence. As many as 1,577 families will be affected by the project, out of which 664 families are required to be resettled. (See the HalonMandala EIA Executive Summary report) During the land acquisition for the project, some farmers approached the local authorities, saying they got less compensation than promised. Some claimed that their name was not in the compensation list but their land had been taken away. The farmers say that "if this land is snatched from us, how will we take care of ourselves?" They have been continuously staging protest and agitations and many have individually approached local authorities with complaints. They say they will not part with their land unless they get fair compensation and rehabilitation. Rajkumar Sinha from the National Alliance of People's Movement told LCW on October 11, 2019, "The struggle was very active in the initial phase. However, of late it has gone passive." He further added that the government has not taken any decision related to compensation. The dam is being built by a private company. Due to lack of resources, the protests have mellowed down. LCW spoke to Rajkumar Sinha again on August 3, 2020. He said, "The work of some dam is still ongoing. The compensation has been given but the rehabilitation work is incomplete."

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for more compensation than promised

Demand for rehabilitation

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):

278.96

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:

Water Resource Department

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:

The JV company by Sadbhav Engineering

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
Arpit Deshmukh
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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for more compensation than promised

Demand for rehabilitation

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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