SOIL Report 2008 - ACCESS Development Services

Chapter IIInterestingly, the Government of India which spends huge resources to undertake the NSS does nothave any authentic data on displacement resulting from different development projects. A review by theWorld Bank says that each large dam in India has displaced an average of 13,000 people. On the basisof that calculation then one can assume that the more than 3,000 dams in India have displaced around39 million people. 19Table 2.5: Independent Estimate of Total Persons Displaced by Damsduring 1950-’90Category Number ( million) Percentage (%)Total number of persons displaced 16.4 100Total number resettled 4.1 25Backlog 12.3 75Total number of tribal persons displaced 6.32 38Total tribal persons resettled 1.58 25Backlog 4.74 75Source : Fernandes, Walter, and Vijay Paranjpye. 1997. Rehabilitation Policy and Law in India: A Right toLivelihood. New Delhi: Econet and Indian Social Institute.A studyundertakenin Orissashows thatlandlessnesshas increasedafterdisplacementdespitepeople beingrehabilitatedwith landand financialsupport.In some of the recent projects (under construction or planned to be constructed), the majority of thedisplaced are tribals. (See annex. Table A.2.9) As a result a significant number of tribal and other socioeconomicallybackward people are not only displaced from their land and common property resourcesincluding water and forest resources, their livelihoods are destroyed and no amount of rehabilitation interms of providing some land and money have been able to restore their traditional livelihoods reasonablyenough. Displacement has brought psychological trauma and made their lives more miserable andimpoverished. 20 Interestingly enough, a study undertaken in Orissa shows that landlessness has increasedafter displacement despite people being rehabilitated with land and financial support.So far, it was mostly the government that was the major agency effecting displacement throughdevelopment projects. However, in recent years, there has been an upsurge of private/corporate-drivenexpansion of industrial and SEZs. The states too have been aggressively facilitating the process with apromise to create more employment and achieve a better growth rate. Land acquisition by the states isleading to the people being displaced from their own lands for some monetary compensation and someof them at best end up as labourers in the new industries. Amit Bhaduri (1997) has been a strong criticof the governments’ move and says that ‘states’ alliance with corporations to dispossess people of theirlivelihoods in the name of development is nothing but ‘developmental terrorism’. 21Other activities like illegal mining within the knowledge of the government and local administration in theforest areas, excavation of mineral reserves like limestone in plains where people grow crops and grazetheir livestock to sustain their livelihoods etc, have all put tremendous pressure on the livelihoods of thepeople. 22 (See Box 2.6) For instance the cement industry alone has taken away substantial agriculturalland.52A detailed cost benefit analysis of different development projects and the people displaced (physically,socially and psychologically) and loss of livelihoods is beyond the scope of this discussion. We can onlymake an attempt here to highlight displacement as a major livelihood challenge for the poor.19Cernea, M.M. (1996) Public Policy Responses to Development Induced Population Displacement in Economic & Political Weekly June 1520Biswaranjan Mohanty (2005) Displacement and Rehabilitation of Tribals, Economic & Political Weekly, March 2621Bhaduri, Amit (2007) Development or Developmental Terrorism? Economic & Political Weekly, Feb 1722Bhusan , Chandra & et al (2008) Rich Lands Poor People: Is Sustainable Mining Possible?, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi)52