180,000 acres may be 'diverted' for proposed 37,490 MW solar power capacity farms

By Shankar Sharma*
This has reference to a recent statement in Rajya Sabha in which RK Singh, Union minister of new and renewable energy, said that the government has “approved 50 solar parks in 12 states till November 30”. Whereas it can be seen as a matter of pride for the government to claim to have approved so many solar power parks, the same should also be a matter of a major societal level concern, when we consider the ecological impacts of such a large number of solar power parks.
The land diversion, whether forest lands or agricultural lands, if continue like this, can pose multiple & serious issues to the society from the perspective of food production capacity and fast shrinking forest cover.
The diversion of land for a total solar power capacity of 37,490 MW could be in excess of 180,000 acres (at the rate of 5 acre per MW). Can the already resource constrained and hugely populous country of ours afford to loose so much of the critical natural resources, just for land based solar power parks, for which we have a much better option in the form of roof-top solar PV systems, which will also come with multiple additional advantages?
Karnataka state is reported to have diverted of about 11,000 acres of semi-arid agricultural land for a single solar park of 2,000 MW capacity in Tumkur district, and there is also a media report that few more thousand acres of land may be diverted to add few hundred MW more capacity for this solar power park.
There are also reports that few more such land based solar power parks are being planned in the state. When we also consider the land diversion required for the associated power transmission lines and sub-stations, along with the forest lands required for pumped storage hydro power plants (which are perceived as needed to back up such large solar power parks), the societal level ecological and social costs can be much higher than the benefits from such projects.
Most of these societal level costs are entirely avoidable through diligent implementation of techno-economically attractive options such as distributed kinds of renewable energy sources, and measures for DSM, efficiency improvement and energy conservation.
It is necessary to undertake serious deliberations on all the associated issues, and endeavor to minimise the overall societal levels costs from the power sector. It would be a great service to the country, if the interested civil society groups and individuals are also effectively involved in such deliberations.
In this regard the efforts to persuade the PMO, NITI Aayog, Power & NRE Ministry, and other relevant agencies of the Union government to come up with a diligently prepared national energy policy can be a great step forward.
---
*Power & Climate Policy Analyst. This article is based on the author’s representation to the secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India

Comments

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

'MGNREGA crisis deepening': NSM demands fair wages and end to digital exclusions

By A Representative The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a coalition of independent unions of MGNREGA workers, has warned that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing a “severe crisis” due to persistent neglect and restrictive measures imposed by the Union Government.

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

'Centre criminally negligent': SKM demands national disaster declaration in flood-hit states

By A Representative The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has urged the Centre to immediately declare the recent floods and landslides in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Haryana as a national disaster, warning that the delay in doing so has deepened the suffering of the affected population.

Saffron Kingdom – a cinematic counter-narrative to The Kashmir Files

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* “Saffron Kingdom” is a film produced in the United States by members of the Kashmiri diaspora, positioned as a response to the 2022 release “The Kashmir Files.” While the latter focused on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits and framed Kashmiri Muslims as perpetrators of violence, “Saffron Kingdom” seeks to present an alternate perspective—highlighting the experiences of Kashmiri Muslims facing alleged abuses by Indian security forces.

From lazy to lost? The myths and realities behind generational panic about youth

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak Older generations in many societies often describe the young with labels such as “lazy, unproductive, lost, anxious, depoliticised, unpatriotic or wayward.” Others see them as “social media, mobile phone and porn addicts.” Such judgments arise from a generational anxiety rooted in fears of losing control and from distorted perceptions about youth, especially in the context of economic crises, conflicts, and wars in which many young lives are lost.

'Govts must walk the talk on gender equality, right to health, human rights to deliver SDGs by 2030'

By A Representative With just 64 months left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global health and rights advocates have called upon governments to honour their commitments on gender equality and the human right to health. Speaking ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), experts warned that rising anti-rights and anti-gender pushes are threatening hard-won progress on SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) and SDG-5 (gender equality).

Counterview

Search This Blog