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NEWS ALERTS | There is a human cost of development projects, says new report
There is a human cost of development projects, says new report

There is a human cost of development projects, says new report

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published Published on Nov 25, 2016   modified Modified on Nov 25, 2016

The term 'development' holds a positive connotation for most policymakers. However, there are examples abound, which indicates that development also cause enormous misery to the people, particularly the poor and the marginalized.

Take for instance, the organizing of 2010 Commonwealth Games, due to which massive infrastructural development in the national capital was undertaken when Sheila Dikshit was the Chief Minister of Delhi. It has been estimated that almost 2 lakh people were evicted from 19 sites demolished during preparation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, as a part of large-scale land acquisitions that led to the building of sports arenas, roads, parking areas and hotels, and initiatives to “improve security” and clean up the city. So, what may appear like development and beautification of the city actually resulted in the impoverishment of evicted people.  

A report brought out by two international NGOs - Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) - in July this year has put together experiences of people who were evicted during land acquisitions from various parts of India, apart from the views of academics, human rights activists and civil society representatives. It provides nine cases of displacement caused by development in the states of Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala and the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. Please click here to access the report.

The new report says that government power over land and its severe approach to dissent are key factors in enabling and perpetuating displacement in the context of development projects. Besides, indifference on the part of authorities to the adverse human and socio-economic impacts on the displaced and society at large have resulted in a fall in living standards and fractured social networks.

The report entitled Pushed Aside: Displaced for 'Development' in India says that there is absence of public consultation and participation when land acquisitions and evictions take place in various parts of India, which is consistent with global trends.

Among other things, the report finds that there are examples galore to indicate that the Indian State acquired land under eminent domain for public purpose. There exists scarcity of data and records on acquisitions of such land, upon which many of India’s most vulnerable and marginalised people live and depend. Therefore, the true scale of displacement caused by development in India is unavailable.

In none of the nine development projects that IDMC visited, there were public consultations before evictions took place. In such places, communities did not participate in the resettlement process. Besides, social and environmental impact assessments were not carried out for any of the nine projects that IDMC visited.

It has been found by IDMC that excessive police force was used during evictions, which caused injuries and deaths and contributed to an atmosphere of uncertainty and terror. Seldom prosecution or trial of officials involved in the violence and destruction during eviction happened, despite multiple incidents of injury. The government did not provide any medical aid or compensation to the evicted victims.

There is insufficient evaluation mechanism in place so as to monitor the implementation of rehabilitation plans, or any recourse for failure, says the report from NRC and IDMC. Due to the lack of secure tenure, it becomes difficult for many communities to negotiate on equal terms during land acquisition by the government.

It is mostly the poor and marginalised who are displaced and they end up being poorer and more isolated than before after displacement. The report has mentioned that evicted people are seldom beneficiaries of the development projects that displace them.

Land acquisition affects women and persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) disproportionately, says the report. For example, between 1951 and 1995 STs and SCs constituted 30 percent and 10 percent of the total population of Jharkhand respectively. However, during the same period STs and SCs constituted 41 percent and 14 percent, respectively of the people displaced by development projects in Jharkhand.

The national laws pertaining to the protection of indigenous rights are not systematically implemented across the states and such laws are often violated during land acquisition. When support to the displaced come from civil society, political parties and media, they are able to negotiate for a better outcome, says the report.

It has been found by the NRC - IDMC report that land acquired for development projects sometimes remain unused or vacant even years after evictions take place. This happens due to construction delays, administrative hurdles or projects being presented as a façade for an altogether different type of development such as gentrification.

It is estimated that 17 percent of people displaced by development projects have been resettled, but there is little information in the public domain about their fate, or the extent to which they have been able to integrate locally, says the report. A Delhi-based NGO Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN) has found that at least 2.34 lakh people were evicted in urban areas between 2010 and 2015.

The report, which is also based on a review of literature on displacement caused by development in the country says that nearly 65 million were displaced between 1950 and 2005. It adds that 75 percent of more than 20 million people displaced by development projects over four decades were still impoverished by the early 1990s.    

The NRC - IDMC report says that around 90 percent of people displaced by development in India were forced from their homes by state-run projects. The sources of funding for such projects are public sector banks, and such funding have increased over the recent years.

Based on a literature survey, the report finds that in the forthcoming years 11 million hectares of land would be additionally required in sectors such as agri-fuel, infrastructure, resource extraction and renewable energy. The creation of 100 “smart cities” that provide core infrastructure is expected to cause significant displacement, says the report.


References

Pushed Aside: Displaced for 'Development' in India, July, 2016, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), please click here to access

Displacement and Rehabilitation of People Due to Developmental Projects, No.30/RN/Ref./December/2013, Lok Sabha Secretariat, please click here to access

Poor forest rights act implementation hampers social justice to the tribals, Newsalert from Inclusive Media for Change, please click here to access
 
Push irrigation, not dams -Mihir Shah, The Indian Express, 14 August, 2015, please click here to access

Why Are Government Deliberations Regarding the Land Ordinance A Secret? -Chitrangada Choudhury & Aniket Aga, CaravanMagazine.in, 20 April, 2015, please click here to access

In the Shadow of Displacement, Forest Tribes Look to Sustainable Farming -Stella Paul, IPS News, 10 February, 2015, please click here to access
 
 
Image Courtesy: Himanshu Joshi


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