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economics of on-farm development - Institute for Social and ...

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areas being 8 per cent (GO!, 1998). Mitra (1996) suggests that the estimates <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

utilisati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> potential created will have to be discounted to the extent productive<br />

l<strong>and</strong> is going out <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> use from agricultural producti<strong>on</strong>. This will make the extent<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> under-utilisati<strong>on</strong> much higher than what is reported (Mitra, 1996: A 33).<br />

Thanh <strong>and</strong> Biswas (1990) examine the interface between irrigati<strong>on</strong><br />

systems <strong>and</strong> the envir<strong>on</strong>ment <strong>and</strong> highlight the importance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> m<strong>on</strong>itoring <strong>and</strong><br />

evaluati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> irrigati<strong>on</strong> projects with respect to envir<strong>on</strong>mental implicati<strong>on</strong>s.<br />

Singh gives a very comprehensive <strong>and</strong> detailed account <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the canal caused<br />

ecological issues <strong>and</strong> health hazards (Singh. 1997: 133-163) <strong>and</strong> underscores the<br />

necessity <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> incorporating ecological impact studies as an integral part <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the<br />

planning process <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> irrigati<strong>on</strong> systems. He feels that the problems c<strong>on</strong>cerning the<br />

possibility <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> dam failures, in particular. the occurrence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> earthquakes. etc.,<br />

needs careful empirical probing.<br />

The problems <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> rehabilitati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> resettlement <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the project affected<br />

people (PAP)I communities have also been <strong>on</strong> the increase in the absence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a<br />

comprehensive rehabilitati<strong>on</strong> policy. According to the L<strong>and</strong> Acquisiti<strong>on</strong> Act <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

1894, the project-displaced people were paid <strong>on</strong>ly cash compensati<strong>on</strong>. Though<br />

this Act was amended in 1984, which allowed the state to provide alternative<br />

l<strong>and</strong> as compensati<strong>on</strong>, this act was not legally binding (Singh, 1997: 183). It is<br />

widely held that large dams do little to alleviate the existing social inequalities,<br />

rather, they further aggravate the already skewed social structure in favour <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the<br />

socially, ec<strong>on</strong>omically <strong>and</strong> politically powerful. thus throwing to the winds the<br />

socialist pretensi<strong>on</strong>s laid down in the c<strong>on</strong>stituti<strong>on</strong> (Singh. 1997: 203).<br />

50

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