Development, Displacement and Resettlement in India: An Overview

Abstract

In the dominant development paradigm, economic development is considered to be synonymous with large projects. Governments and development planners alike are inclined to invest in very expensive projects. In India, irrigation and power projects such as the Narmada Valley Irrigation and Power Project, the Tehri Hydro-Electric Project, the dams on the Krishna river, and many others, are currently being executed. More projects are planned for the Narmada, Krishna, Indravathi and other river systems. Economically and politically dominant groups — large farmers, contractors, bureaucrats and politicians — are pushing many more projects that will cause massive displacement. As economic liberalization and globalization facilitate the penetration of the Indian interior, the lives, livelihoods and lifestyles of those who critically depend on the natural resource base will continue to be seriously affected.