TestenGOLD- Free

Commons in crisis

Down To Earth|January 16, 2025
A landmark 2011 Supreme Court ruling to protect shared resources deepens struggles for India's marginalised communities
- HIMANSHU N PATIALA, PUNJAB
Commons in crisis

IN ROHAR Jagir village, nestled in Punjab's Patiala district, little has changed in the 14 years since a landmark legal battle over shared community resources drew national attention. Despite a 2011 Supreme Court verdict, hailed as a watershed moment for governance of commons—shared natural resources such as water, forests and pastures—in India, the 7.2-hectare (ha) pond at the centre of the dispute remains encroached upon. The ruling, intended to safeguard commons, appears to have changed little for the people it was meant to protect—or for those it sought to penalise.

The 80 households that encroached upon the pond remain locked in limbo. Unable to occupy the houses they had built, the residents cling to the hope that one day they might gain legal access. While wealthier families have moved on, building new houses elsewhere, poorer families have neither been able to claim the dwellings they had built nor are benefitting from a restored pond.

The conflict began in 2003, when village resident Jagpal Singh attempted to build a house on the pond, officially designated as gair mumkin (uncultivable) land. His actions alarmed fellow resident Dev Singh and members of the gram panchayat, who opposed the encroachment. The parties first approached the district collector, then the joint development commissioner and later the Punjab and Haryana High Court, before landing in the Supreme Court (see ‘Protracted struggle’). In 2011, the apex court ordered the eviction of occupants from commons across India and mandated state governments to implement schemes for restoring these lands. The verdict allowed for regularisation only in “exceptional cases”, such as where leases were granted under government notifications to landless labourers or socially deprived members of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), or where public utilities such as schools already existed on the land.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 16, 2025-Ausgabe von Down To Earth.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 9.500 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 16, 2025-Ausgabe von Down To Earth.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 9.500 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS DOWN TO EARTHAlle anzeigen
Recycling Innovation: How UFlex Is Setting Global Benchmarks
Down To Earth

Recycling Innovation: How UFlex Is Setting Global Benchmarks

India's first company to recycle PET, PE, and PP for food packaging

time-read
3 Minuten  |
June 01, 2025
A NEW BUZZ
Down To Earth

A NEW BUZZ

Like many countries, India is in the middle of a pollinator crisis. In several states, farmers now rent honeybees to secure a decent harvest. In areas where agriculture is nearly impossible due to shortage of natural pollinators, people are manually carrying out nature's most critical operation. This artificial substitution of pollinators raises new concerns. A report by

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
June 01, 2025
Seed saviours
Down To Earth

Seed saviours

Seed banks managed by communities and non-profits are repositories of hundreds of indigenous climate-resilient crop varieties but need help in storage, technical aid and policy support to thrive

time-read
3 Minuten  |
June 01, 2025
Perilous proposal
Down To Earth

Perilous proposal

Villages near Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve oppose plans to open yet another ecotourism zone in light of rising attacks by the big cats

time-read
4 Minuten  |
June 01, 2025
SOUR GOODNESS
Down To Earth

SOUR GOODNESS

Leaves of madhu soleng, an easy-to-grow weed, are a great souring agent

time-read
3 Minuten  |
June 01, 2025
Down To Earth

Broken lifeline

ON MARCH 13, 2020, Government of India's Press Information Bureau (PIB) released the latest life expectancy data of the country.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
June 01, 2025
RESILIENT RURAL FUTURES
Down To Earth

RESILIENT RURAL FUTURES

Ambuja Foundation Tackles Climate Vulnerability Head On ...

time-read
3 Minuten  |
June 01, 2025
Down To Earth

Sustainable cycles

Women in Himachal Pradesh switch from plastic sanitary pads to reusable menstrual hygiene products for better waste management

time-read
2 Minuten  |
June 01, 2025
Uniting the Ecosystem: Empowering Smallholder Farmers and Solving India's Water Crisis
Down To Earth

Uniting the Ecosystem: Empowering Smallholder Farmers and Solving India's Water Crisis

Smallholder farmers are key to solving India's water crisis, accounting for 86% of farming households. Agricultural consumption accounts for 75-90% of India's freshwater use.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
June 01, 2025
WHO IS REALLY DEVELOPED
Down To Earth

WHO IS REALLY DEVELOPED

A new development metric ranks countries based on their living standards that can be scaled globally without breaking planetary limits

time-read
3 Minuten  |
June 01, 2025

Wir verwenden Cookies, um unsere Dienste bereitzustellen und zu verbessern. Durch die Nutzung unserer Website stimmen Sie zu, dass die Cookies gesetzt werden. Learn more