‘We will give up our lives, but not our lands’
energy-enclosures and anti-dispossession struggles in India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5380/dma.v66i.94374Keywords:
Just energy transition, land conflict, dispossession, resistance, energy governanceAbstract
This paper discusses the contradiction between the growing demand for power and the decreasing availability of land for energy infrastructure in India. While energy developers are heavily investing in the construction of new power plants and transmission lines, land acquisition procedures have encountered strong opposition from farmers, leading to a rise in litigation. Drawing on data from Land Conflict Watch, I conducted a comparative case analysis of 67 land conflicts in the power sector and proposed a conceptual definition of energy enclosures, which captures the multi-faceted nature of anti-dispossession struggles. In response to widespread peasant resistance and the emergence of “land wars” against land grabs for both public and private infrastructure projects, the Government of India enacted more “humane, transparent, and participatory” legislation in 2006, 2008, and 2013. These reforms offered a potential opening for more inclusive energy governance. However, the analysis of farmers’ demands, negotiation strategies, and protest repertoires reveals that land acquisition for energy infrastructure still falls short of meeting the procedural, restorative, and redistributive criteria for a just energy transition. Findings suggest that affected communities are increasingly aware that legal advocacy may lead to higher compensation and some protection against harassment and other human rights violations. Nevertheless, the data also show that magistrates often interpret the law based on pre-2013 frameworks, share the developmentalist outlook of project developers, and therefore rarely rule in favor of those harmed by energy enclosures.
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