Hello,
Since being carved out of Jammu and Kashmir as a separate Union Territory in 2019, Ladakh has grappled with one question: who controls the land?
The ambiguity has continued over land ownership even as large land parcels are being allocated for mega renewable energy projects. This has left the people of Ladakh at a crossroads. TRC fellow Safeena Wani’s latest story exposes how pastoral land, used by nomadic herders for centuries, is being termed “wasteland” to facilitate easy transfer for mega projects.
It reveals how people in Ladakh are miffed with the Union government over land. Wani went through dozens of documents, letters and official exchanges to expose mounting concern among local communities over the land transfer.
Locals are angry that major decisions are being steamrolled when key questions over land ownership, consent of affected communities, and safeguarding of community rights remain unresolved. They are also unhappy that the projects are being pushed without even sharing documents like environmental and social impact assessments that show how the communities will be affected.
Read the full investigation here: Pillars of State Encroachment
This investigation, done by Safeena as the recipient of the 3rd TRC Investigative Reporting Fellowship, took several months. But we could do it only because your consistent and generous support keeps us going.
Please support us so that we can continue doing these investigative stories.
Warm regards,
Mayank Aggarwal
Editor
The Reporters’ Collective