Between Fields and Cities: The Politics of Land Use Changes in Punjab, India

Abstract

This thesis examines the urbanization of agricultural lands in the State of Punjab, looking for patterns that explain the type of development that is occurring while embedding these transformations in a larger political and economic context. The study will focus on both transportation infrastructure and the real estate developments surrounding it, as a way of situating Punjab within a larger discourse on infrastructure and urbanization in the Global South. Through the case studies of three Punjabi cities: Mohali, Bathinda, and Ludhiana, this paper will employ remote sensing to analyze recent transformations from agricultural to developed land across different land use zones, revealing two primary patterns. First, highway infrastructure projects have been delayed because of land acquisition problems and a contentious political environment. Second, with the exception of Ludhiana, most of the real estate in Punjab is concentrated in the residential sector. This apparent stagnation of manufacturing growth in Punjab results from a wide range of political and economic factors including high land prices, protest movements, emigration, fiscal policies, geography, and competition with other states. In contrast to the rest of the state, Ludhiana has successfully attracted industrial growth, illustrating how cities that urbanized earlier follow a different path of economic development.