Mapping Land Conflicts in India

Abstract

India’s ambitious agenda for industrial and infrastructure growth requires large swathes of land. At the same time, a huge part of its population uses land to earn livelihood. The competing demands cause conflicts. The battles over land are increasing across India irrespective of political cultures, be it left, right or centre. These conflicts have deep implications for the wellbeing of India's people, institutions, investments, and long-term development. Some of these conflicts turn violent and violate human rights.

An analysis of 536 ongoing land conflicts in India reveals that together they affect close to 50 lakhs people and span over 14.6 lakhs hectares of land. The total investments (indicative) tied to these conflicts are around Rs.14.3 lakhs crore. The data was collected between January 2016 and November 2017 by Land Conflict Watch, a research-based data journalism initiative that maps ongoing land conflicts across India.

In this talk, I addresses how, why, and where these conflicts are emerging and what are their implications for local communities, environment and investment policies in India. And, how the database can be used by journalists and researchers in their work. From the data, it emerges that in contrast to accepted wisdom, the majority of land conflicts in India are revolving around common lands rather than private lands. The disputes are most intense in the resources-rich states where, in many cases, land is forcefully acquired, public hearings are farcical, documents are forged, dissenters are booked under false charges, compensation is paid partially, houses are torched, and people get killed.

I argue that in order to sustain and expand India's socioeconomic development, it is imperative that the government respect communities' land rights, including Forest Rights Act 2006 and ensure that their formal as well as customary jurisdiction over commons is recognised and respected.

About the speaker

Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava is co-founder of Land Conflict Watch, an award-winning, research-based data journalism project that maps land conflicts across India. A journalist for nine years, Shrivastava writes on issues at the intersection of human rights, environment, industry and politics. He has received National Award for Excellence in Journalism from the Press Council of India , the Young Journalist from the Developing World Award from the Foreign Press Association of London and the Young Asian Environment Journalist Award from the Singapore Environment Council. In the past, Shrivastava has worked for the Hindustan Times, Down To Earth and Times of India