Madar SamadIWMI, Hyderabad

Recovery and Restoration of Livelihoods of involuntarily displaced communities:

Perspectives from Ujjani and Sardar Sarovar Projects

Ramasamy Iyer: “Considerable hardships and injustice” to many displaced (The Hindu, April 13, 2006)

Saifuddin Soz Committee Report: “due to defects in policy and prescribed procedures there are many failures in the rehabilitation effort, and is also not in accordance with the supreme court order” (The Hindu, 17 April 2006)

• Population displacement is an age old problem. But, its magnitude has increased substantially in recent to times.

• In India alone some 25- 40 million people have reportedly been displaced in the last 5 decades

• Statistics suggest under NRLP over half a million people will be displaced due to peninsular links alone

Key Question is why is that although the adverse effects of population displacement are in general well documented and the existence of several guidelines on resettlement management, it continues to be a difficult problem?

Hypothesis 1

Negative short term consequences of displacement are compensated by the longer term benefits generated from enhanced socio-economic opportunities created in the newly developed relocation site.

Hypothesis 2

With proper counter risk policy and approaches, short term adverse effects can be largely arrested, and some even fully prevented, while others considerably mitigated, and thus people’s livelihood are resorted much earlier.

Method of study

A comprehensive review of national policy and procedures for resettlement management in India.

The review will focuses on• expropriation procedures• compensation principles • relocation procedures and mechanisms for minimizing

relocation stresses• livelihood issues in resettlement policy• Gender concerns and issues relating to rehabilitations

of SC/ST.• others

Case studies of selected resettlement sites in India:

Upper Bhima Irrigation Project (Ujjani Dam) Maharastra

Rehabilitation and Resettlement started around 1974. Long term impact of involuntary displacement and resettlement Field work to commence on 20 May

Narmada Project (Gujarat) – 2 locations

A community that has been displaced and resettled during the last 5 -10 year period

A community that has been resettled more 15-20 years ago

Study Methods:

Case studies involved: review of feasibility reports and project related

documents, Questionnaire surveys of sample displaced

household Review of past research findings relating to the

selected case study sites.

Method of study contd:

A analysis of 500 litigations filed before the Maharashtra courts

Analysis of petitions submitted by displaced persons to the Grievances Redressal Agency for SSP (there are some 5000 petitions are pending before the agency)

proceedings reports of various commissions and committees and other relevant bodies

Submissions and document published by NGOs and activists taking the case on behalf of the displaced people

will be reviewed

Effective rehabilitation and resettlement management: minimizing relocation stresses of oustees and improve, or at least restore, the their living standard to the level before displacement within the shortest possible time.

Field Survey

Research Question:How has the socio-economic status of dam oustees in Ujjani and SSP changed over time?

•Are they better off than before displacement?•Worse off than before displacement?•No change?

Ujjani-Restoration of Livelihood Status of Displaced Population with Time

0

9

91

0

10

89

2

16

83

3

27

71

4

44

53

6

56

38

11

62

27

18

63

20

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Year1to2 Year2to4 Year4to6 Year6to8 Year8to10 Year10to15 Year15to20 Year20to25

Worse

Same

Richer

Cumulative Percentage of Household Better off than Original Village with Time.

23

38

57

71

82 8290

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1-2 2-4 4-6 6-8 8-10 10-15 15-20

Year

%

SSP- Restoration of Livelihood Status of Displaced Population with Time

3

6

18

11

35

4

20

2000

04

9

18

27

6

25

9

200

016

12

22

8

30

17

400

012

9

12

6

35

24

9

20

0025

8

7

32

20

19

60

0014

4

5

28

23

22

12

1

0112

6

5

19

25

21

17

2

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Year1-2 Year2-4 Year4-6 Year6-8 Year8-10 Year10-15 Year15-20

5

4

3

2

1

0

-1

-2

-3

-4

-5

Comparison of Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy in the three SSP states

Article NWDT

Award

Madhya Pradesh

Gujarat Maharashtra

Definition of Oustee

a. Residing/trade at least for one year prior date of notification of Land acqt

• Same as NWDT

• Cultivating

land for 3 yrs

Same as NWDT

Same as NWDT

Family Defined Same as NWDT Same as NWDT

Same as NWDT

Land Allotment

Minimum of 2 ha per family

Same

SC/ST needs specified

Same as NWDT

Same as NWDT

Comparison of Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy in the three SSP states

Article NWDT

Award

Madhya Pradesh

Gujarat Maharashtra

Encroacheroustees

No land allotments

Treated as landedoustees subject to two conditions.i. Encroachment must be on or before 13.4.87.ii. Allotment of agricultural landwill be 1 ha. or 2 h.b) Encroachers will be entitled to get compensation for land under submergence.

i. Encroachers prior to 1 year of Notification - entitled for 2 ha. of land

2.compensation for the balance encroached land as exgratia payment

2 ha of land and compensation as ex-gratia payment for thebalance land encroached upto 31/3/78.Later encroachers will be treated as landless and will get 1 ha. Agriculture land

Comparison of Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy in the three SSP states

Article NWDT

Award

Madhya Pradesh

Gujarat Maharashtra

Landless oustees

No land allotments

•No land

•cash payment to ag labor and SC/ST

2 ha of land to landless agric labor only

1 ha land if oustee moves with the other

Rehab Grant Rs 750 per family Small & marginal farmers, agric labor and SC/ST

• Subsistence Allow

• NWDT award

Yes

Land Compensation

As per Land Acq Act

Same

NWDT

Rs. 10,000 per ha

Rs. 3750-4500 per ha

Comparison of Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy in the three SSP states

Article NWDT

Award

Madhya Pradesh

Gujarat Maharashtra

Rehab grant and subsidies

RR Grant of Rs. 750 per family

Grant-in-aid of Rs. 500

RR Grant- SC/ST, Laborers, Marginal Farmers @11,000 each

Others @ Rs. 5500

Generous: Subsistence allowance.

Grant to buy assets

Housing grant

Subsistence allowance & other benefits as specified by NWDT

Other facilities

Transport, Civic amenities

Yes Yes Yes

Restoration of Livelihood by Year of Settlement

YEAR YEAR_1 YEAR_2 YEAR_4 YEAR_6 YEAR_8 YEAR_10 YEA_15 YEAR_20

1980-1985 0 0 6 18 18 24 18 18

1986-1990 5 8 14 19 20 22 12 1

1991-1995 7 12 16 19 19 20 6 0

1996-2005 20 20 14 19 14 9 4 0

Compensation %

HH received the full amount due to them 77%

HH reporting that compensation was adequate to replace the assets lost 49%

HH who have filed a suit (case) in courts 4%

Receipt of Compensation - SSP

Receipts of Compensation

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%A

lter

nat

eL

and

Cas

hP

aym

ent

Bo

th L

and

and

Cas

h

Mat

eria

ls

Go

vtE

mp

loym

ent

Ho

usi

ng

Plo

t

Oth

er

Income loss due to loss of user rights

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%L

ea

sin

g,

ren

tal

co

ntr

ac

ts o

f la

nd

Ca

su

al

wa

ge

la

bo

ur

Sk

ille

d e

mp

loy

me

nt

Pe

tty

Tra

din

g

Bu

sin

es

s A

ffe

cte

d

An

ima

l h

us

ba

nd

ry

Art

s a

nd

Cra

fts

Lo

ss

of

Ac

ce

ss

to

En

vir

on

me

nta

lS

erv

ice

s

Lo

ss

of

Sta

nd

ing

Cro

p

Su

bs

iste

nc

e

ac

tiv

itie

s

Home ownership before and after displacement

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Sole Owner Jointly owned withother family

members

Leasehold Encroachment onGovt. land

Not alloted Homeless

Original Present

Land ownership before and after displacement

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Solely Owned Jointly Owned Leased-in Encroached orenclosed

Communal landoccupied

Governmentland occupied

Other land

Original Present

Access to Agricultural Land before and after displacement

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Irrigated Rainfed Barren Others

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

Ac

res

Original

Present

AvgSize_Original

AvgSize_Present

Primary Occupation of head of HH- Before and after displacement

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

Cu

ltiv

ati

on

/Fa

rmin

g

Ag

ric

ult

ura

l L

ab

ou

r

No

n A

gri

c L

ab

ou

r

Tra

din

g/s

ho

pk

ee

pin

g/m

on

ey

len

din

g

Liv

es

toc

k R

ea

rin

g

Original Present

Occupational Changes

SSP:• 33% - Household Head changed their

primary occupation• 78% - reported as current employment is

more remunerativeUjjani:• Substantial number change to non-remunerative

employment.

CONCLUSIONS

• Preliminary Results indicate that SSP (Gujarat) the oustees are not adversely affected to the extent claimed

• Oustees do encounter initial relocation stress and there is a fall in standard of living

• A majority of oustees were able restore their livelihoods to the original level in 4-6 years.

• Data suggests that oustees in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are worse off than Gujarat.

• Field work underway.