Amidst popular protest by farmers residing in Sriganganagar, Rajasthan High Court on Thursday approved the Indian Air Force’s request of land acquisition for the proposed Forward Composite Aviation Base (FCAB) in the Sriganganagar district.
This decision has left local farmers worried about their livelihoods, as they may have to take up non farming based activities or buy agricultural land somewhere else. As per the court order, the aviation base will be developed on a total of 132.825 hectares of land to enhance the Air force’s capacity for rapid response at the border.
The government claims that none of the 162 affected farmers are being displaced and that rehabilitation is not necessary. However, 58 of the affected farmers had filed a petition before the high court resisting the court order citing disregard of the Land Acquisition Act of 2013.
In their plea, local farmers have also alleged that the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) of the site was biased in the favour of the military.
Petitioners’ claims and court’s response
The petition also alleged that the compensation provided to them by the government is far less than the market rate. The petitioners also stressed the need for a rehabilitation plan which had not been sanctioned by the government in the land acquisition process.
A single-judge Bench of Justice Dr Nupur Bhati emphasised in its judgment that when it comes to national security, individual hardship must be weighed against public interest. The court outright rejected the petition filed by 58 farmers and labelled it as a ‘bundle of technical excuses’.
The court found the arguments of the Ministry of Defence and the state government more compelling, where they reiterated that the SIA assessment was conducted in accordance with the centre’s guidelines and was impartial in nature.
The state government also maintained that no one’s house or primary source of livelihood would be affected as a result of the acquisition. Sriganganagar already has an air force base station near Suratgarh, which is about 71km away from the district headquarters.
Importance of the project
As per a report by The Tribune, the project is not only of military importance but also holds historical significance. The existing airstrip in Lalgarh Jattan village, which witnessed civilian flights in the 1960s, is now expected to be transformed into a modern military base.
The development of the aviation base which lies close to the India–Pakistan border is expected to improve the Air force’s reaction speed in border scenarios.