In recent years, Modhera has gained recognition as India's first solar-powered village. However, the solar project has costed pastoralists of Sujanpura village in Becharji taluka of Mehsana district 54 acres of their grazing land.
The Modhera solar power project was undertaken for the development of the legendary Sun temple at Modhera in Mehsana. It involved installation of 1,177 rooftop solar modules on residential buildings and 316 modules on government buildings, a 6 MW solar power plant and a 15 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The tender for the integrated Modhera project was floated in February 2020 and the project was inaugurated in October 2022, ahead of Gujarat assembly elections in December 2022.
The villagers of Sujanpura, who are Maldharis or traditional pastoralists, protested against the allotment of 54 acres of grazing land the village by the Mehsana District Collector to the state Energy Department, without notifying the local village panchayat. MLA Bharatji Thakor highlighted that 100% of the Bakshipanch community members relied on animal husbandry and the land, valued at Rs 70 crore, was essential for grazing cows and livestock.
On 9 September 2020, residents of Sujanpura wrote a letter to the sarpanch opposing the solar plant. The Panchayat then passed a resolution against the plant on September 19, 2020 and demanded that it be moved elsewhere. In the same month, villagers also wrote letters to the Mamlatdar and District Collector opposing the plant and asking that it be moved elsewhere. Following which, two of the residents - Anil Desai and Vinaji Thakur - filed a petition in the Ahmedabad High Court to oppose the land allotment but nothing had happened till March 2023.
Despite villagers' complaints, the plant was constructed at the proposed site. Meanwhile, the state government allotted nine hectares of land within Modhera village, five kilometers away from Sujanpura, as new grazing land, along with plots in Sujanpura and the nearby Chatasana village. Villagers argue that this reallocation process lacked their approval and consultation, leading to widespread dissatisfaction.
Mehulbhai Rabari, a local with around 40 cattle, expressed his frustration to BBC Gujarati, stating, "The government may say they have allocated land, but we have not seen any land. They say they have given land within the boundary of Modhera, but how reasonable is it for us to travel five kilometers every day to graze our cattle and then come back?"
On the issue of Sujanpura residents demand grazing land nearer their village, Mehsana District Collector Agarwal told IndiaSpend, “If not there, they would have been allotted something even farther.”
Stating that the government followed the ‘rulebook’ in the process of land acquisition, he added, that his office has not received any complaints of residents not being able to access their farms easily because of the power plant, and that if the residents do approach the Collector’s office they will get access to their farms.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for better access to common land/resources
Demand to cancel the project
Complaint against procedural violations
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand to relocate the project
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common
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
Project completed
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Grazing
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
69
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
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.
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:
Non-consultation with stakeholders
Lack of legal protection over land rights
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Pending
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Ahmedabad High Court
Case Number
WP/175/2020
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Gujarat
Kumar Sambhav is a social entrepreneur and award-winning journalist, leading innovative research in accountability investigations. He is the founder of Land Conflict Watch and is currently working as India Research Lead with Princeton University’s Digital Witness Lab.
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