Clean energy, costly future: Rajasthan's forest communities fight to save ancestral land
Ravi Sahariya (26) sits silently among a group of villagers at a small temple in Moondiyar, a village bordering the ecologically-rich Shahbad forest in
Rajasthan
's Baran district. The forest, vital to the lives of tribal families like his, is now under threat as 408 hectares of it are proposed to be diverted for a massive renewable energy project. More than 1.19 lakh
trees
are to be felled.
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The meeting at the temple has been called to oppose the 1,800-megawatt pumped storage project being built by
Greenko Energies
Private Limited.
A pumped storage project acts as a giant water battery. It stores extra renewable energy by pumping water uphill and releasing it later to generate electricity when demand is high or supply drops.
While only three villages -- Kaloni, Mungawali and Baint -- are officially listed for land acquisition, the project's shadow looms much larger, affecting at least seven nearby villages that are home to hundreds of forest-dependent tribal and Dalit families.
Moondiyar has about 2,500 residents, including around 400 Sahariyas -- a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) characterised by extreme poverty and a low level of literacy. For generations, families like Ravi's have survived by collecting forest produce such as mahua and amla and grazing cattle in the Shahbad forest.
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"I earn about Rs 50,000 a year," Ravi says. "Of that, Rs 40,000 comes from selling forest produce. The rest comes from harvesting chickpea during the season. We spend Rs 15,000 alone on our children's school fees."
Ravi's wife Krishna is the village sarpanch. Until recently, his family of seven lived in a mud hut. Now, they have a small two-room house built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Their only electronic possession is a mobile phone.
"If the forest goes, we go," Ravi says. "I will have to go to the city to find daily-wage work."
Dalits and Sahariyas make up nearly half of Moondiyar's population. Most survive on forest produce -- mahua, tendu patta, chironji, khair and gond, among others.
Losing the forest means losing food, income and identity.
Ravi owns five bighas of land next to the forest. "My land is now surrounded by plots bought by brokers. We used to grow enough wheat just for the family. Now, I have no access. No one will let me pass. I will be forced to sell," he says.
Greenko Energies claims no land is being acquired in Moondiyar.
But villagers say brokers, sensing an opportunity, are buying tribal land for cheap to sell at higher prices later.
"Non-tribal agents bought land from tribals in distress," says Jitendra (28) from the nearby Kaloni village.
Legally, companies cannot buy land directly from tribals. The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Act, 2013, requires the government to act as an intermediary.
Additionally, the Rajasthan Tenancy Act bars the sale of tribal land to non-tribals without the district collector's prior approval.
Baran Collector Rohitashva Singh Tomar says he has not received any land-acquisition proposal from the company or granted permission for transfer of any tribal land.
Greenko Energies' forest-diversion application to the
Union environment ministry
claims forest rights have been settled in the affected villages -- a prerequisite for using forest land.
But villagers are unaware. "I do not know, sir," Ravi says, when asked if his forest rights have been officially recognised.
The collector says forest rights recognition is a "dynamic process" and that he will check whether any claims from the affected villages are still pending.
Loss of forest also threatens to worsen malnutrition, already rampant among Sahariya children.
Last September, more than 170 malnourished children were found in Baran's Shahbad-Kishanganj area. Many belonged to villages like Moondiyar and Kaloni.
"No forest means no income, no food. Malnutrition will rise. People will be forced to migrate," warns Laxman Singh Mehta, a farmer from Kaloni.
Researcher Bhargavi S Rao draws a parallel with the Pavagada solar park in Karnataka.
"People lost land and left for cities to become construction workers. Women, children and the elderly stayed behind, with worsening nutrition. Anaemia rose. This is a public health issue but no one is paying attention," she says.
This is the dark side of the clean-energy push, she adds. "We are pushing people off the land that feeds them, without giving them new skills or support."
India's renewable energy ambitions are massive. The country aims for 500 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel-based capacity by 2030. Rajasthan, with the highest renewable energy potential, plans to add 90 gigawatts by then.
The rapid expansion of renewable energy is critical for India to meet climate goals and achieve energy independence. But it has brought conflict too.
A 2024 report prepared by research group Land Conflict Watch found 31 land conflicts linked to renewable energy projects across 10 states, affecting nearly 44,000 people. Eight of these were in Rajasthan alone.
In Shahbad, the forest is not just land. It shields the villages from Rajasthan's punishing heat, nourishes groundwater and provides food, shade and grazing land for both people and wildlife.
Brijesh Kumar, a gram panchayat member from Kaloni, says Shahbad will turn into another Jaisalmer -- where summer temperatures easily reach 47-48 degrees Celsius -- without the forest. "It keeps us alive."
Greenko Energies plans to cut more than 1.19 lakh trees, some over 100 years old, for the project. It has received the environment ministry's Stage-1 clearance and is awaiting final approval. Villagers claim trees are already being cut.
This PTI correspondent saw several uprooted trees at the site. It was not clear who was responsible.
Water conservationist Rajendra Singh visited the site and estimates the number of trees to be felled as four times higher.
Greenko Energies denies this. A company representative claims no trees have been cut yet.
Only a minimum number of trees will be removed after the final forest clearance, he says.
Range Forest Officer Rajendra Prasad Meghwal says he is not aware of the tree felling but promises an investigation if a complaint is filed.
The Shahbad forest is also home to many endangered species listed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, including leopards, sloth bears, striped hyenas, vultures, wolves, jackals, porcupines and pythons.
Locals say they have even seen a cheetah that possibly strayed from Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park, just 48 kilometres away.
India declared cheetahs extinct in 1952. The government recently brought some African cheetahs to Kuno National Park as part of a globally-watched reintroduction effort.
Social activist Jitendra Sharma, part of the Save Shahbad Forest campaign, warns of increasing human-animal conflict.
"Where will leopards and cheetahs go? They will enter our homes," he says.
Even the Environmental Impact Assessment report says the project will fragment the landscape, disturb biodiversity and likely increase conflict between animals and humans.
Yet, not everyone is against it.
Bhup Singh (45), whose land falls within the project area, says, "We need jobs. Our forest is already degraded. Trees were cut, no one cared. Maybe the project will help our children survive."
However, others remain sceptical.
Manak Chand (65) from Moondiyar says, "A company set up a crusher plant in a nearby village and promised people employment. Not a single person got a job; they brought people from outside."
Neeraj Kashyap grazes his 125 goats along the banks of the Kuno river, from which the project will lift water. The forest feeds them.
"If it goes, what will our children eat?" he asks. "We have only our animals. If the company cuts the forest and does not help us, we will starve."
The forest has long protected Shahbad. Now, villagers wonder who will protect the forest.
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