Jharkhand
,
Babupur, Bhitiya, Katia, Paharpur and Singhpur Yogidih
,
Deoghar
Published :
Jul 2017
|
Updated :
Tribal Communities Refuse to Give Land for Deoghar Airport in Jharkhand
Reported by
Alok
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Edited by
Anupa Kujur
Households affected
2539
People affected
2012
Year started
265
Land area affected
Households affected
2539
People Affected
2012
Year started
265
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Airport
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Airport
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

At least 529 families, mostly from tribal communities, are opposed to the construction of an airport in Deoghar district as the project will likely displace them. Around 13 villages will be affected, including Babupur, Bhitiya, Katia, Paharpur and Singhpur Yogidih villages. The airport construction was started with a tripartite agreement signed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Airports Authority of India and the state government. In May 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the project, which will be spread across of 653.75 acres. The government has already acquired 437.70 acres of _raiyati _(private) land. The remaining 144 acres is government land (including village common lands) and 18 acres is forestland. After the Deoghar district administration started the procedure for land acquisition, residents of Katia, Bhitia and Babupur villages called their respective Gram Sabhas to build consensus over giving their land for the airport. The people decided against giving "even an inch of" their land. Keeping in view the protest by the affected families, the Deoghar district administration initiated a public hearing. Sudhir Kumar, land acquisition officer of Deoghar, acknowledged to LCW that the people were angry over the prospect of displacement. He pointed out that while some of the families did not want to give their land, a few families wanted monetary compensation. The district administration has planned to shift the residents of Katia, Bhitia and Babupur to resettlement colonies in Nayadih and has proposed a package of INR 6.50 lakh for each displaced family. But a section of the villagers have demanded that the compensation package should include the value of their land. Another section has demanded the land value to be doubled as the market rate of the land went up after the project's announcement. Despite protests, the construction work continued, and the authorities claimed that the airport was likely to become operational from September 2021.

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for more compensation than promised

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

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):

400

Type of investment:

Investment Expected

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

Yes

When did it end?

2022

Why did the conflict end?

Community's original demands were met

Recognising the 30 year old struggle led by the tribes people of the area against the project, government of Jharkhand said that public interest would be served by not re-notifying the firing range.

4
Additional Information

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Airports Authority of India, Defense Research and Development Organisation, Deoghar district administration

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Yes

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

Airport Authority of India

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Deoghar District Administration

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
Alok
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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand for more compensation than promised

Refusal to give up land for 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

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

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