Commons in Crisis
In Rohar Jagir village, nestled in Punjab’s Patiala district, little has changed in the 14 years since a landmark legal battle over shared community resources drew national attention. Despite a 2011 Supreme Court verdict, hailed as a watershed moment for governance of commons—shared natural resources such as water, forests and pastures—in India, the 7.2-hectare (ha) pond at the centre of the dispute remains encroached upon. The ruling, intended to safeguard commons, appears to have changed little for the people it was meant to protect—or for those it sought to penalise.
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