Pieces of Earth Pieces of Earth The Politics of Land-Grabbing in Kashmir P��� G����� N��� S����� Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries. Published in India by Oxford University Press 2/11 Ground Floor, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110 002, India © Oxford University Press 2018 The moral rights of the author have been asserted. First Edition published in 2018 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by licence, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. ePub ISBN-13: 978-0-19-909165-2 ePub ISBN-10: 0-19-909165-X Typeset in Adobe Jenson Pro 10.5/13 by Tranistics Data Technologies, New Delhi 110 044 Printed in India by Rakmo Press, New Delhi 110 020 For my Mother In memory of my father Peer Ghulam Mohammad Contents List of Tables, Maps, and Figures List of Abbreviations Acknowledgements 1. Capital in a Disputed Land 2. Global Perspectives on Land-Grabbing 3. Political and Economic History of Land-Grabs in India 4. From Land Tenure Changes to Land-Grabs 5. Development-Induced Dispossession, Displacement, and Embedded Power Relations 6. Power, Politics, and Struggles over Land 7. Exploitation and Politics of Decision-Making References Index About the Author Tables, Maps, and Figures Tables 1.1 Stakeholder Positions and Interests 1.2 Total Storage of Water Permitted to J&K under IWT in Million Acres Feet (MAF) 4.1 Major Characteristics of Gurez 7.1 Main Occupations of Rural Households in Gurez 7.2 Livestock in Gurez Maps 3.1 Map of India 3.2 Map of Kashmir Figures 1.1 Mufti Mohammad Syeed’s Letter to Manmohan Singh 1.2 Manmohan Singh’s Letter of Acknowledgement 4.1 Houses in Badwan 4.2 Government Notification for Compensation of Land, pasted on Masjid Wall in Badwan 4.3 Khopri Village 4.4 The Road that Connects Khopri with Dawar, is Fenced with Razor-Sharp Concertina Wire from Pakistan’s Side to Prevent Infiltration 4.5 Interview with the Village Leader 4.6 A View of the Construction Work on Dam for HEP in Badwan 4.7 Tunnel for Diversion of Waters from Kishanganga to Wular Lake 4.8 Guest Entry Registration Copy at Gurez Guest House. Mr Alisen and His 12-Member Team Had Stayed Here During the Survey 5.1 Interview with a ‘Marginalized’ Peasant Family 5.2 Interaction with a Peasant in Badwan 6.1 Letter Written by M. Amin Lone to a Newspaper for Publication. The Letter is Addressed to the Government to Take Note of the Problems Faced by People of Gurez due to HEP 6.2 Cartoon Depicting NHPC Extracting Resources from Kashmir but Illuminating India 7.1 NHPC Power Generation in J&K Abbreviations BJP Bharatiya Janata Party COHD College of Humanities and Development CSC Cabinet Sub-Committee FDI Foreign Direct Investment HCC Hindustan Construction Company HEP Hydroelectricity Project IWT Indus Water Treaty KHEP Kishanganga Hydroelectricity Project LoC Line of Control MoU Memorandum of Understanding MW megawatt NGO non-governmental organization NHPC National Hydroelectric Power Corporation NRLD National Register of Large Dams PSU Public Sector Undertaking PDP Peoples’ Democratic Party SP Superintendent of Police Acknowledgements No scholarly work is possible to accomplish without the support of people, who directly or indirectly contribute to the process of research. This work too is the outcome of the support I have received from many academics, friends, and well-wishers. Equally important, is the contribution of the respondents in Badwan, Khopri (Bandipora), and Srinagar in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. I am indebted to all these people for not only spending time with me, explaining the processes and impacts of land-grabs but also inviting me for meals often. The intellectual seeds of this work were sown during the critical development studies course that I took in my PhD, at College of Humanities and Development (COHD), China Agricultural University. I hugely benefitted from the classroom discussions and lectures that were delivered by Henry Bernstein, Saturnino (‘Jun’) M. Borras Jr., and Jennifer Franco at COHD. Jun Borras, Jennifer Franco, and Henry Bernstein would often push me to look at different dimensions of land-grabs. I would like to thank all these people for their support and critical feedback. Jennifer Franco read some portions of an early version of this book and gave her feedback. This book would not have been possible without the scholarly guidance and financial support from my PhD supervisor, Professor Ye Jingzhong, at COHD. During my PhD, I have had an opportunity to interact with numerous scholars who delivered public lectures in ‘Critical Agrarian Studies’ Lecture Series at COHD from 2011 to 2014. Those lectures gave me new insights about the agrarian studies and would often rejuvenate me to continue doing this research. I am grateful to all those people for spending time with me to discuss my work. To James Scott, whose writings, especially Weapons of the Weak (1985), became influential in my analysis of