This time around, we bring you five stories addressing various issues that encompass pending forest land title claims, land acquisition policies, conflicts arising from climate change and renewable energy – all with a huge impact on local communities.

Our Writing Fellow Sukriti Vats, visited Jaisalmer, a hub for solar and wind energy projects in Rajasthan. Her report sheds light on angry villagers who accuse the government of favouring private power companies and blatantly neglecting their land rights as they pushed for renewable energy reforms.

For another story, Sukriti also travelled to villages in the Ramgarh district of Jharkhand to investigate how the ongoing tussle between the centre and the state government has meant a 22-year delay in compensating Jharkhand farmers displaced due to coal mining. You read her in-depth report for Down to Earth here.

In another report for Down To Earth, our contributing researcher Rahul Kumar assesses the effectiveness of the government's extensive Jal Jeevan Hariyali campaign in combating climate change in Bihar. Read the story in Hindi here.

Odisha is one of the leading states in recognising and settling the rights of forest dwelling communities. Our Legal Research Lead Anmol Gupta delves into the impact of the new Land Acquisition procedures introduced by the Odisha government, highlighting how they could dilute tribal rights. You can read the article here.

Our Climate Research Lead Mrinali Karthick reports from COP28 Dubai, it made history as countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels for the first time. But poorer countries say the final decision goes against Climate Justice. Read the explanatory piece in the Frontline Magazine.

Our contributing researcher from Assam Mahmodul Hassan reports forced eviction and demolitions in the Silsako wetland near Guwahati, Assam. The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) wants to clear "encroachments" for flood prevention, impacting 900 families but favours big corporates and businesses. Hassan in his investigative report, writes about the disparities in compensation, allegations of bias, and clashes during protests.

New Conflicts in our Database

We currently have 730 ongoing conflicts documented in the LCW database. Last month, our team of researchers added ten new conflicts listed below with six updates:

1. The Kurumbapet-Odiampet Link Road project in Puducherry is currently facing roadblock due to land acquisition issues, a conflict reported by our researcher Viswanathan Shridhar.
2. In Odisha, Dungripali village is in protest against the Aditya Birla solar power project, with villagers alleging a lack of consultation, writes Aishwarya Mohanty. Our researcher Aishwarya also reported that the villagers in Odisha's Sundargarh protest over delay in R&R settlement for land acquired in 1988 for Mahanadi Coalfields.
3. In western Rajasthan villages, residents have expressed their dissent against a windmill project near Desert National Park, citing concerns about the impact on common lands and livelihoods linked to tourism in the area. The conflict has been reported by our Writing Fellow Sukriti Vats. Sukriti has also covered the opposition from Dawara villagers in Jaisalmer against a 600 MW solar-wind hybrid project by Adani Green Energy Limited, affecting Khatedari Land, gochar (grazing land), orans (sacred trees), and talabs (ponds). In another conflict reported from Rajasthan's Rewari village, she outlines the opposition of villagers to land transfer for a solar project by the Adani Group.
4. Local communities and environmentalists have opposed the Sillahalla Pumped Storage Hydro-Electric Project (SPSHEP) proposed in the Kundah Taluk of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve by the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO), as it would submerge acres of dense forests and prime agricultural lands, along with displacing over 10,000 people. The conflict has been reported by our researcher Nayantara Lakshman.
5. Our researcher from Assam, Emilo Yanthan has reported two conflicts, the street vendors who failed to relocate to approved vending zones were evicted from the footpaths of Dibrugarh town by Dibrugarh Municipal Board (DMB), and over 150 street vendors were evicted by Guwahati Municipal Corporation evicts near Cotton University.
6. In Assam’s Dima Hasao district, residents of about 29 villages affected by land dumping for the construction of National Highway-27, have launched an indefinite strike in Haflong demanding compensation from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), writes our researcher Sarup Sinha. Moreover, there were fresh updates to conflicts related to tension along the Assam-Meghalaya border, an eviction drive in Silsako wetlands that left 93 families homeless, and the displacement of over 2,500 families from Burhachapari Wildlife Sanctuary.
7. Additionally, there have been updates in ongoing conflicts, including the demand for rehabilitation by farmers affected by the Jewar Airport.

New Forest Conservation Amendments to Continue Unabated for Now

By Anmol Gupta and Paramvir Singh

Earlier this year, controversial amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 were passed by the parliament. They are set to be enacted on December 1. On 29 November, the Supreme Court heard a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) writ petition filed by 13 retired public servants challenging these amendments.

Claiming the amendments as a “death knell” for forests across India, these petitioners included former high ranking officials from the forest department and the National Board for Wildlife. The petition challenges the constitutional validity of the amendments.

Counsels for the government contended that there was no “intention” to dilute the scope of forests as laid down by the Supreme Court in 1996. Among other arguments, the petitioners contended that since 1996, the court-decreed exercise of demarcation of forests was not yet complete. This would leave vast swathes of deemed forest land vulnerable under the new amendments.

The Supreme Court, however, refused to issue a stay. Claiming the matter to have “serious implications”, the apex court adjourned the case to be heard after six weeks.

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