ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE : SOCIAL ISSUES 197
the ‘Ukai Nav Nirman Samity. Even so, out of a total of 18,500 affected families, only 3500
families could be resettled.
People who could previously barely manage to survive in their traditional environment
are uprooted as a result. The objectives of rehabilitation should be:
- The people displaced should get an appropriate share in the fruits of development.
- Creating new settlements with their own environment should rehabilitate them.
- Removal of poverty should also be an objective of the rehabilitation policy and
therefore some land to all. - Oustees (even the landless) should be given assurance of employment.
- While dealing with tribal one should also keep in mind the following five principles
of tribal-development accepted during Jawaharlal Nehru’s era as ‘tribal panchsheel.’ - Tribal should develop along the lines of their own genius and we should avoid
imposing anything on them. - We should try to encourage their own traditional arts and culture in every way.
- Resettlement should be in the neighborhood of their own environment. If
resettlement is not possible in the command area, top priority should be given to
the development of irrigation facilities and supply of basic inputs for agriculture;
drinking water, wells, grazing grounds for cattle schools for the children, primary
health care units and other amenities should be arranged. - In partly affected village, villagers should be given the option of shifting out with
others with the same compensation as available to evacuees. - Training facilities should be set up to upgrade the skills of affected people and
reservation in jobs should be made for the willing adults among the evacuees. - Special attention should be given to the rehabilitation of artisans and village crafts
people. - Villagers should be taken into confidence at every stage or implementation and
they should be educated, through open meetings and discussion about the legalities
of the Land Acquisition Act and other rehabilitation provisions. - The aid of voluntary agencies planning and implementation programme.
Rehabilitation Problem
Involuntary displacement of human population is always traumatic. Irrespective of the
causes leading to such migrations the degree of suffering experienced by such people simply
cannot be quantified in money values, and even in words it can be described only inadequately.
But, unfortunately, ousting of people likely to be submerged under irrigation or hydel power
dams is a classic case where hardships are imposed on people in spite of the ‘pro-people’
laws and policies proclaimed by the Government. Below is a critique of the Tehri Dam
Rehabilitation.
Compensatory Land
The project authorities commenced the Scheme by allocating 2767 acre of land in the
Dehra Dun area, which was already reeling under severe pressure from tourism, limestone
quarrying and urban expansion.