Chhattisgarh to return Bastar land acquired for Tata Steel to farmers


ENS

Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print


Chhattisgarh to return Bastar land acquired for Tata Steel to farmers

In its poll manifesto, the Congress had promised that in case of projects which fail to take off within five years of land acquisition, the land would be returned to their owners.

After the farm loan waiver, the newly elected Congress government in Chhattisgarh has announced that it plans to begin the process of returning land acquired from tribal farmers in Bastar for a Tata Steel project which did not materialise.
Advertising

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is learnt to have instructed officials to begin the modalities of the process and submit an action plan before the next Cabinet meeting, which is likely to be held after the swearing-in of additional ministers on Tuesday.

In its poll manifesto, the Congress had promised that in case of projects which fail to take off within five years of land acquisition, the land would be returned to their owners. Party president Rahul Gandhi had reiterated this promise to farmers in the affected region in the run-up to the assembly elections.

In 2005, the then BJP government had signed a memorandum of understanding with Tata Steel for a Rs 19,500-crore integrated steel plant in Lohandiguda area of Bastar district. The acquisition of land — which belonged to tribals —began in 2008, and the government acquired 1,764 hectares from the 10 villages of Lohandiguda, Chindgaon, Kumhali, Beliyapal, Bandaji, Dabpal, Badeparoda, Belar, Sirsiguda and Takraguda.
While there was widespread debate among farmers and unrest over the land acquisition process, with activists calling the process exploitative and under duress, 1,165 farmers of the 1,707 farmers whose land was acquired accepted the compensation. The government maintained that the compensation for the rest had been deposited with the revenue deposit fund.

In 2016, even as the government hadn’t yet “taken possession of the land”, Tata Steel announced that it was pulling out of the project. Officials cited various reasons, including protests, procedural delays including in acquisition of land, and Maoist threat in the region.
You might like
05:31
Eye for Detail 18: What the return of Hamid Nehal Ansari means for Indo-Pak relations and more

The Congress, then the Opposition party, had said the acquired land should be returned to their owners. But the then BJP government had said the acquired land would go to a land bank, to be used for industrial purposes. Official sources had then indicated to The Indian Express that the land was likely to be given to NMDC.

With the Congress government now planning to return the land, senior officials said they were working overtime to finalise the modalities and would submit a consolidated document before the Cabinet.
Popular Photos
A look at Bogibeel bridge, India’s longest rail-road link
HSSC admit card: How to download police constable exam hall ticket online
Kapil Sharma’s wedding reception: Krushna Abhishek, Bharti Singh and others grace the bash

Senior Congress leaders said the Cabinet’s decision, when cleared, would be “historic”. “If you look at the history of land struggles in India, this has rarely happened, whether it is Singur or Bhatta Parsaul. Even in Bastar, there was strong opposition to this acquisition, and reports that many youths got disenchanted with the government because of this. This shows the empathy of the Congress government towards the farmer, and will send a strong pro-farmer message, not just to Chhattisgarh but to the rest of the country,” said a senior leader.

“This is also a signal of how the new Congress government intends to tackle the issue of Naxalism with pro-people policies,” said Ruchir Garg, media advisor to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

Write your Comments on this Article
Your Name
Native Place / Place of Residence
Your E-mail
Your Comment   You have characters left.
Security Validation
Enter the characters in the image above
    
Disclaimer: Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Kemmannu.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.
Please note that under 66A of the IT Act, sending offensive or menacing messages through electronic communication service and sending false messages to cheat, mislead or deceive people or to cause annoyance to them is punishable. It is obligatory on kemmannu.com to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request. Hence, sending offensive comments using kemmannu.com will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Kemmannu.com be held responsible.
Similarly, Kemmannu.com reserves the right to edit / block / delete the messages without notice any content received from readers.




Mangalorean Teen Feryl Rodrigues Shines as May Que
View More

Final Journey of Mrs. Severine Pais (85 years) | LIVE from Milagres, Kallianpur, UdupiFinal Journey of Mrs. Severine Pais (85 years) | LIVE from Milagres, Kallianpur, Udupi
Final Journey of Mrs Lennie Saldanha (89 years) | LIVE from Kemmannu | UdupiFinal Journey of Mrs Lennie Saldanha (89 years) | LIVE from Kemmannu | Udupi
Final Journey of Zita Lewis (77 years) | LIVE from Kallianpur, UdupiFinal Journey of Zita Lewis (77 years) | LIVE from Kallianpur, Udupi
Final Journey of Henry Andrade (83 years) | LIVE from KemmannuFinal Journey of Henry Andrade (83 years) | LIVE from Kemmannu
Final Journey of Mr. Leo Britto (65 years) | LIVE from Mother of Sorrows Church, UdupiFinal Journey of Mr. Leo Britto (65 years) | LIVE from Mother of Sorrows Church, Udupi
Mount Rosary Church - Rozaricho Gaanch May 2025 IssueMount Rosary Church - Rozaricho Gaanch May 2025 Issue
Final Journey of Juliana Machado (93 years) | LIVE from Udyavara | UdupiFinal Journey of Juliana Machado (93 years) | LIVE from Udyavara | Udupi
Final Journey of Charles Pereira (78 years) | LIVE from KemmannuFinal Journey of Charles Pereira (78 years) | LIVE from Kemmannu
Milarchi Laram, Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Diocese of Udupi, Bulletin - April 2025Milarchi Laram, Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Diocese of Udupi, Bulletin - April 2025
Holy Saturday | St. Theresa Church, KemmannuHoly Saturday | St. Theresa Church, Kemmannu
Final Journey of Albert Lewis (85years) | LIVE From St Theresa’s Church Kemmannu | UdupiFinal Journey of Albert Lewis (85years) | LIVE From St Theresa’s Church Kemmannu | Udupi
Final Journey of Bernard G D’Souza | LIVE from MoodubelleFinal Journey of Bernard G D’Souza | LIVE from Moodubelle
Earth Angels Kemmannu Unite: Supporting Asha Fernandes on Women’s DayEarth Angels Kemmannu Unite: Supporting Asha Fernandes on Women’s Day
Final Journey of Joseph Peter Fernandes (64 years) | LIVE From Milagres, Kallianpur, UdupiFinal Journey of Joseph Peter Fernandes (64 years) | LIVE From Milagres, Kallianpur, Udupi
Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Udupi - Parish Bulletin - January 2025 IssueMilagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Udupi - Parish Bulletin - January 2025 Issue
Rozaricho Gaanch 2024 December Issue - Mount Rosary Church, SanthekatteRozaricho Gaanch 2024 December Issue - Mount Rosary Church, Santhekatte
Land/Houses for Sale in Kaup, Manipal, Kallianpur, Santhekatte, Uppor, Nejar, Kemmannu, Malpe, Ambalpady.Land/Houses  for Sale in Kaup, Manipal, Kallianpur, Santhekatte, Uppor, Nejar, Kemmannu, Malpe, Ambalpady.
Naturya - Taste of Namma Udupi - Order NOWNaturya - Taste of Namma Udupi - Order NOW
Focus Studio, Near Hotel Kidiyoor, UdupiFocus Studio, Near Hotel Kidiyoor, Udupi