Green energy or survival? Rajasthan's forest-dependent communities at a crossroad

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 pumped-storage project.

The meeting at the temple, attended by around 30 people, has been called to oppose the 1,800-megawatt hydro project being built by Greenko Energies Private Limited. 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, home to hundreds of forest-dependent tribal and Dalit families.

The project entails two large reservoirs covering a total of 624 hectares.

Water will be lifted from the Kuno river, near Mungawali village. Though it promises clean energy, locals fear it could destroy their way of life.

Some people say renewable energy project will bring development (photo: PTI)

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 like mahua and amla and grazing cattle in the Shahbad forest.

"I earn about Rs 50,000 a year," Ravi says. "Of that, Rs 40,000 come 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."

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 jungle 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, gond etc.

Losing the forest means losing food, income and identity.

A member of tribal community collects chironji from Shahabad forest (photo: PTI)

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 through. I will be forced to sell," he says.

The company claims that no land is being acquired from Moondiyar. But villagers say brokers, sensing an opportunity, are buying tribal land cheaply to sell at higher prices later.

"Non-tribal agents bought land from tribals in distress," says Jitendra, 28, from the nearby Kaloni village.

Legally, this is problematic. The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Act, 2013 requires the government to act as an intermediary. Companies cannot buy land directly.

Also, 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 any tribal land transfer.

Greenko's forest-diversion application to the Union environment ministry claims that forest rights have been settled in the affected villages -- a prerequisite for using forest land. But villagers are unaware of this. "I do not know, sir," Ravi said, when asked if his forest rights have been officially recognised.

The collector said forest rights recognition is a "dynamic process" and he would check whether any claims from the affected villages are still pending.

Loss of forest also threatens to worsen malnutrition, already rampant among Sahariya children.

According to a PTI report from September last year, 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 income means no food. Malnutrition will rise. People will be forced to migrate," warns Laxman Singh Mehta, a farmer from Kaloni.

Researcher Bhargavi S Rao drew parallels with the Pavagada solar park in Karnataka. "People lost land and left for cities to become construction workers. Women, children, the elderly were left behind. With no forest and no support, nutritional security worsens. Maternal mortality, infant deaths increase. It is a public health issue no one talks about," she said.

This is the dark side of the clean-energy push, she added.

"We are pushing people off the land that feeds them, without giving them new skills or supports," Rao said.

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 RE potential, plans to add 90 GW by then.

But this rush could lead to conflicts. A 2023 report prepared by Land Conflict Watch found 31 land conflicts linked to renewable-energy projects across 10 states, affecting nearly 44,000 people. Rajasthan alone had eight such cases.

In Shahbad, the forest is not just land, it is life. 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, said without this jungle, Shahbad will turn into another Jaisalmer. "It keeps us alive. If it goes, so do we," he said.

Greenko plans to cut 1.19 lakh trees, some of which are more than 100 years old, for the project. It has received the environment ministry's Stage-1 clearance and is waiting for the final approval. Villagers claim that trees are already being cut, even without full permission.

This correspondent saw several uprooted trees at the site. It was not clear who was responsible.

A man shows chironji collected from Shahabad forest (photo: PTI)

Water conservationist Rajendra Singh visited the site and according to his estimate, the number of trees felled is much higher. "It is not 1.19 lakh, it is four times more," he said.

Greenko denies this. A company representative claimed that no trees have been cut yet and said only a minimum number of trees will be removed after the final forest clearance.

Forest Officer Rajendra Prasad Meghwal said his department has not received any complaint but will investigate if one 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.

Social activist Jitendra Sharma, part of the Save Shahbad Forest campaign, warns of rising human-animal conflict. "Break the forest and you break the balance," 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."

Others are not so sure. Manak Chand, 65, from Moondiyar says, "Another company promised jobs earlier. No one from our village got hired. They brought outsiders."

Along the banks of the Kuno river, Neeraj Kashyap grazes his 125 goats. The forest feeds them. "If it goes, what will our children eat?" he asks. "We have only our animals. If the company cuts the jungle and does not help us, we will starve."

The forest has long protected Shahbad. Now, villagers wonder who will protect the forest.