Unwanted barter in the Thar

Five hundred and sixty-eight days. As of February 15, that is how long Kishna Ram Godara has spent in protest. The farmer of Naukha Daiya village in Bikaner district, Rajasthan, began this sit-in on July 18, 2024, at his field with one aim: to stop the felling of khejri trees for solar plants.

Godara has linked this demand and protest to his identity—after all, as he tells Down To Earth (DTE), the existence of his family and his village is connected to khejri trees.

Within Naukha Daiya village is Khejarla Rohi, a plot spanning 3,000 bigha (809 hectares or ha, 3.75 bigha is 1 ha) with some 15,000 khejri trees. In July 2024, this tree cover began to dwindle as ACME Solar, a renewable energy developer, set up a 300-megawatt (MW) solar plant in the village. The plant took over 2,300 bigha, with another 500 bigha proposed to be brought under it. According to Godara, hundreds of khejri trees were felled overnight. His protest then began with three demands: a complete ban on khejri tree felling; enforcement of a state tree law; and norms for installation of solar plants without tree felling.

Godara, who has 200 khejri trees on his 38 bigha farm, claims the company tried to persuade and threaten him, and filed lawsuits as well. But he did not compromise. DTE has contacted company representative via email, but did not receive a response until February 22, when the magazine went to print.

In July 2025, inspired by Godara, members of the Bishnoi community in Bikaner district launched an indefinite sit-in at the collectorate. This result-ed in saving the remaining khejri trees in Naukha Daiya, with ACME Solar directed to finish the project without further felling.

Other villages in Bikaner have similar tales. In the district’s Bhanipura village, for example, farmers estimate that 10,000 khejri trees have been cut since 2024 for a solar plant. Four months ago, residents staged a sit-in protest at the plant.

More than a tree

Bikaner is becoming a hub for solar energy production, with aggressive promotion from the state government. On February 11, while announcing the budget for the upcoming financial year, Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Diya Kumari allocated Rs 2,900 crore for solar projects in Bikaner and Jaisalmer. She said solar parks with capacity of around 4,830 MW will be developed through joint ventures in Mehrasar-Dinsar-Barala and Sawaisar-Karanisar Bhatian-Bikoloi areas in Bikaner, and Raghwa-Sehua area in Jaisalmer.

Soon after, DTE visited seven villages in Bikaner, including those mentioned in Kumari’s speech, and found that ...

This article was originally published in the March 1-15, 2026 print edition of Down To Earth