Gujarat
,
Rajkot
,
Rajkot
Published :
Dec 2024
|
Updated :
Protests erupt in Bhimnagar over civic body's move to hand over land to private builder
Reported by
Suchak Patel
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Edited by
Anupa Kujur
400
Households affected
1920
People affected
Year started
56
ha.
Land area affected
400
Households affected
1920
People Affected
Year started
56
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Land Use
Reason/Cause of conflict
Other Kind of Land Use
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Urban
Ended
Sector
Land Use
Reason/Cause of conflict
Other Kind of Land Use
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Urban
Ended
1
Summary

In Gujarat, residents of Bhimnagar on Nanamwa Road in Rajkot staged a protest at the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) office on 26 September 2024, opposing the municipality's decision to hand over their land to a private builder under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme.

The land, estimated to be worth Rs 700 crore is being offered to the builder at a significantly lower price of Rs 103 crore, raising concerns among the community, many of whom belong to the Scheduled Caste.

The residents, who have lived in the area for over 40 years, argued that they have legal rights to the land and questioned why the land is being disposed of under a PPP model when it could benefit the community directly. They demanded that the land be legalized under the government's Jantri system instead of being sold to the builder.

The locals further stated that they had been paying taxes and receiving electricity from the Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Ltd (PGVCL).

Bhimnagar was part of Nanamwa village before being merged into RMC's jurisdiction.

Municipal Commissioner Dewang Desai responded to the protests, stating that the tender process was reopened after being canceled earlier. He explained that the Rs 103 crore valuation was determined based on government norms and that the land transfer is still under consideration. Desai assured that the residents from the slum area will be included in any future PPP housing scheme as per government regulations.

As tensions escalated, the police were deployed to control the crowd, and the gates of the RMC office were closed. However, Commissioner Desai met with the protest leaders and assured them that positive action would be taken regarding the cancellation of the project.

The residents made it clear that they were willing to pay the government's Jantri rate for the land but would not allow it to be handed over to private developers at a discounted rate. They warned of severe consequences, including threats of self-immolation, if their demands were not met.

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand to cancel the project

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand to sell the land at government rate

Region Classification

Urban

Type of Land

Common and Private

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?

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

Residential area

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

103

Type of investment:

Investment Expected

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:

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:

J.P. Structure Pvt Ltd

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
Suchak Patel
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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand to cancel the project

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

Residential area

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

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