Keeping landowners onside during construction

Land agreements are signed months or years before construction begins. By the time crews, trucks and cranes arrive, the original conversations may be distant memories. Construction brings noise, dust, traffic, crop damage and strangers into villages. How a project handles this period shapes its relationship with landowners and neighbours for decades — and often decides whether construction proceeds smoothly or stops.

Why construction is a pressure point

• Physical disruption — fields crossed, crops damaged, roads busy
• Payment expectations — landowners expect payments promised at signing
• Unmet promises — local employment or road improvements discussed informally
• New people — contractors and subcontractors who weren't part of land discussions
• Neighbours — people who didn't lease land but are affected by construction

Before construction starts

Inform

• Share the construction schedule with landowners and village leaders
• Explain what will happen on each piece of land and when
• Introduce the community liaison and contractor representatives

Prepare the land

• Agree on crop harvesting or compensation before work starts
• Mark boundaries and routes clearly. See boundary disputes and encroachment.
• Photograph land condition before works, for later restoration

Settle outstanding issues

• Complete payments due
• Resolve open land documentation issues
• Address concerns raised during land discussions

See project readiness checklist.

During construction

Communicate regularly

• Regular meetings with landowners and village leaders
• Advance notice of disruptive activities — heavy transport, blasting, road closures
• A clear contact for questions

Compensate promptly

Crop damage and temporary land use should be assessed fairly and paid quickly. Delayed compensation is one of the most common reasons for work stoppages.

Respect the land

• Keep vehicles to agreed routes
• Avoid damaging bunds, channels and wells
• Don't dump waste or materials on others' land
• Respect temples, burial grounds and features of local importance

Control nuisance

• Dust suppression on roads near homes
• Limiting night work near villages
• Traffic management through villages
• Safety around construction areas for children and livestock

Repair damage quickly

Damaged village roads, walls, fences or channels should be repaired promptly. Visible, quick repairs build trust.

The grievance process

A good grievance process:

1. Accessible — easy to raise a complaint, in local language, without needing to go to an office
2. Recorded — every grievance logged with date and details
3. Acknowledged — the person told their grievance was received
4. Resolved — investigated and addressed within a reasonable time
5. Closed — the person informed of the outcome
6. Reviewed — patterns used to prevent recurrence

Local employment

Many communities expect jobs from projects on their land. Construction can offer opportunities — labour, security, transport, catering. Approaches that help:

• Be clear about what jobs are available and the skills needed
• Make selection fair and transparent
• Work with contractors so commitments are honoured
• Don't make promises that can't be kept

Contractors and subcontractors

The EPC contractor's workforce represents the project in the village. Owners should:

• Include community conduct requirements in contracts
• Brief contractor staff on local sensitivities
• Hold contractors accountable for damage and behaviour

See how EPC partnerships work.

After construction

• Restore temporary areas as agreed
• Close outstanding grievances
• Thank landowners and communities
• Keep the contact channel open for operations

The relationship continues for the project's life — operations, maintenance access, and eventually repowering or decommissioning.

A simple grievance log

Keeping promises visible

Many disputes trace back to informal commitments made during land discussions — a road repaired, a borewell for the village, priority for local labour. Before construction, list every commitment made, who made it, and how it will be delivered. Share that list with the contractor so they know what the project has promised. Delivering visibly on small promises builds the goodwill needed when bigger problems arise.

Common mistakes

• Arriving without notice
• Late compensation
• Ignoring neighbours who didn't lease land
• Contractors behaving as if land issues aren't their concern
• Informal promises that aren't honoured

Women and vulnerable households

In many villages, women manage much of the day-to-day farming but may not attend formal meetings. Elderly landowners or households without a working adult may find it harder to raise complaints or follow paperwork. Making sure information reaches these households directly — and that compensation and grievance processes are accessible to them — avoids leaving out the people most affected by disruption.

How we help

Through execution support and our ongoing work with landowners, we act as the bridge between projects and the community during construction — communicating schedules, managing compensation, running grievance processes and keeping relationships strong.