A long march is testing India’s clean energy model and its environmental safeguards. In late January, a group of villagers walked roughly 700 km across Rajasthan to protest solar land allotments that they say threaten sacred groves, known locally as orans. The orans are forested community lands that support grazing, water retention and biodiversity. Critics say many have been misclassified as “wasteland.”
Rajasthan leads India in solar deployment, with more than 22,000 MW of installed capacity. The state plans large solar parks that require tens of thousands of hectares of land. But renewable energy infrastructure can harm local ecosystems if not sited carefully.
For decades, orans have been vital to local culture and ecology. They are home to rare species such as the critically endangered great Indian bustard. Conservationists say power lines and wind turbines in these groves have already killed birds that cannot see the wires clearly.
In the past, villagers marched 225 km to get some sacred lands officially recognized as oran land, rather than useless terrain. But much land remains unprotected on paper. Locals say this gap fuels conflict when developers apply for leases.
In 2024, India’s Supreme Court ordered Rajasthan to map sacred groves and treat them as forests under law. If enforced, this would bring stronger safeguards for ecology and community rights.
Protest leaders aren’t opposed to clean energy. They want renewable projects that respect ecosystems and community ownership. “We support green energy,” one marcher said. “But not at the cost of our sacred forests.”
Reference- Scroll article, Down To Earth, MONGABAY, Hindustan Times