Farmers resist land acquisition for canal revival project in Tamil Nadu

Canal irrigation has been central to Indian agriculture since the colonial era, when the British constructed extensive canal networks to stabilise agrarian revenue and expand cultivation. The Nandan Canal, built in the late 18th century, exemplifies this legacy — originating from the Thurinjalaru River in Tiruvannamalai district, it once served as the lifeline of 120 villages across Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram districts, discharging water into 36 tanks and irrigating approximately 6,500 acres across both districts at its peak. Over decades, neglect, siltation, and encroachment rendered it largely defunct, depriving downstream farmers of a historically reliable water source.

The legal framework governing land acquisition for such infrastructure has undergone a fundamental transformation. The colonial Land Acquisition Act, 1894 gave the state near-absolute power to acquire private land for 'public purpose' with minimal procedural safeguards. Sustained farmer agitations and judicial scrutiny led to the enactment of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013, which replaced the 1894 law. The LARR Act introduced mandatory Social Impact Assessments (SIAs), consent thresholds (80% for private projects, 70% for PPP projects), and enhanced compensation of up to four times the market value in rural areas. Constitutionally, land remains a State List subject under Entry 18 of the Seventh Schedule, and Article 300A guarantees that no person shall be deprived of property except by authority of law.

As the NCERT analysis of large canal projects such as the Indira Gandhi Canal illustrates, irrigation infrastructure carries ecological risks — waterlogging, soil salinity, and disruption of existing land-use patterns — alongside its developmental benefits. These tensions make the design and implementation of canal projects a recurring site of policy contestation.