Landowners protested against the Haryana State Government's move to de-notify land which was acquired from them for the construction of the 72-km-long Dadupur-Nalvi Canal. The government reasoned that the project, which was proposed in 1985, was unfeasible as land owners were demanding higher compensation and decided to call it off in September 2017. According to reports dated 7 September 2018, farmers have been asked to deposit the compensation received along with interest.
The Haryana government had proposed a 72 km long canal between Dadupur (Yamunanagar) and Nalvi (Kurukshetra) in 1985 to carry water that would be received from the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal. Around 2246.53 acres of land was acquired for the project and out of this, 1019.29 acres was set aside for the main canals. The land owners whose land was acquired from 2005 onwards were not satisfied with the compensation decided by the lower courts and approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The High Court in 2016 ordered compensation at the rate of Rs 116.83 lakh per acre plus incidental charges. This roughly came up to over Rs 3 crore per acre for those whose land was acquired for the project. But the Haryana Cabinet on 27 September 2017, after spending Rs 304 crore, decided to scrap the project and return the land to farmers citing that the project was unfeasible after the increase in compensation.
Congress and other opposition leaders criticised the BJP led government for scrapping the project crucial for the state's water management and argued that the government asking for the return of compensation provided them them as 'injustice.'
In January 2020, as their demands were not heard, farmers led a protest and tried to fill the a section of Dadupur-Nalvi canal near Adhoya village. Speaking with Land Conflict Watch, Kulbir, former Sarpanch of Dadupur village in Yamunanagar district said that there are farmers who are awaiting compensation for land acquired in 2005. "Farmers are collectively against the de notification of the land and are fighting a legal battle awaiting for fair compensation," he said.
In December 2024, the Punjab and Haryana High Court declared the Haryana government's attempt to denotify land acquired for the Dadupur-Nalvi canal project as objectionable, citing legal inconsistencies and procedural lapses.
The High Court struck down a provision to denotify tracts of land acquired for public purposes. Section 101-A of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, which was inserted by a state amendment in 2018 with retrospective effect from January 1, 2014, the date the 2013 central Act came into force, was struck down. Section 101-A empowered the state government to de-notify the land if the public purpose for which it was acquired became unviable or non-essential.
“We are of the firm opinion that section 101-A is liable to be struck down, suffering from the vice of manifest arbitrariness. We are of the considered opinion that the action of the state government in de-notifying was dehors the policy at the highest level in spite of the same being in place and, therefore, even the action itself is liable to be struck down,’’ said the High Court.
According to a report by the Hindustan Times, the Irrigation and Water Resources department had given till 31 December 2024, for the return of land.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for more compensation than promised
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Protest against de-notification of acquired land
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?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project scrapped
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Agricultural land
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
304
Type of investment:
Investment Made
Year of Estimation
1985
Has the Conflict Ended?
Yes
When did it end?
2024
Why did the conflict end?
In December 2024, the Punjab and Haryana High Court declared the Haryana government's attempt to denotify land acquired for the Dadupur-Nalvi canal project as objectionable, citing legal inconsistencies and procedural lapses.
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Land Acquisition Laws, Land Acquisition Laws, Case 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:
Incorrect estimation of compensation
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 Punjab and Haryana
Case Number
Regular First Appeal No. 3356 of 2010
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
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Haryana Government
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:
Local Farmers
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?
Damandeep is a research scholar in the Department of Political Science, Panjab University, Chandigarh, and Assistant Professor (Political Science) in Trai Shatabdi Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, Amritsar. He is interested in understanding the politics of heritage and its impact on contemporary cityscapes. He has completed his Master’s in Political Science from Panjab University.
