AHMEDABAD: On May 22 – International Day for Biological Diversity – more than 500 Maldharis and other villagers from 16 Banni villages gathered near Fulay in Kutch to protest a proposed solar project of NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd. The villagers were joined by some conservationists.The villagers said they were not opposed to clean energy but were pushing back against development that comes at the cost of fragile ecology and future livelihoods.The protest comes barely months after Chhari-Dhand in Kutch was declared Gujarat’s fifth Ramsar site, a wetland of international importance. Local residents allege that heavy machinery has now begun operating near the wetland, triggering fears of irreversible ecological damage.Villagers have also accused the administration of pushing ahead without meaningful consultation. They claim the land being marked out includes traditional settlements, gauchar land, farmland, village commons and even burial grounds.“During the initial visits, NTPC had assured the community that nothing would be done without taking local people into confidence,” said Begmahmad Mutwa of Fulay panchayat.He said, “Instead, construction is being pushed with police deployment and without prior consultation. Our panchayat never issued an NOC.”For the pastoral economy of Banni, the stakes are high. Residents say the land in question supports nearly 3,000 cattle and sustains a 60% share of the local milk economy .“This grazing land is not used by just one village. Herders from outside villages also depend on it,” said Isa Husain of Paiya Motichur village. “If any panchayat has quietly issued an NOC, the administration must make it public immediately.”Aminbhai Jat from Bhagadiya village said the land becomes even more critical during seasonal movement. “When the weather shifts, herders from surrounding areas camp here with their animals,” he said. “Former MLA Vasanbhai Ahir had also written to the chief minister. We are fully prepared for sustained agitation.”The concern extends to Kutch’s camel-breeding communities as well. “During the monsoon, between 2,000 and 2,500 migratory camels graze here. Today, every Maldhari is saying the same thing: this land must be saved,” said Ashabhai Rabari of the Kutch Unt Ucherak Maldhari Sangathan.Conservationists warn that the issue goes far beyond pastureland. They say the project could threaten one of western India’s most important bird habitats. Ornithologist and former Bombay Natural History Society director Dr Asad Rahmani, who has studied Chhari-Dhand since 1981, said the wetland is a critical refuge for migratory birds, including tens of thousands of common cranes.“Solar panels can create a dangerous ‘lake effect’ at night, misleading birds in flight and causing fatal crashes. High-tension transmission lines are also killers of birds,” Rahmani said.Residents say the proposed project threatens Kiro Hill, which they describe as both a geological heritage site with fossils and an important landmark in the local landscape.Backed by MLA Pradyumnsinh Jadeja, villagers are now demanding an administrative re-survey. With gram sabha resolutions expected by May 26, the protesting villages say they are prepared to intensify their movement through a continued satyagraha and a legal challenge in the Gujarat high court.
