Socio-economic Impact of Land Acquisition Act on Tribal House-hold of Jajpur District, Orissa

Abstract

The impact assessment of a newly planned development on socially marginalized sections of people is a rare phenomenon. In the current land acquisition practice for large scale development, the impact assessments carried out are confined to the economic viability, whereas the social aspect is understated. Realisation of such lacunae in land acquisition processes becomes evident only when the people start protesting. In this study, the impact of land acquisition in Kalinganagar, Jaipur district, Orissa is presented. Scheduled interviews with stakeholders, 250 structured questionnaires from 38 affected villages and documentation of public opinions were carried out. The finding shows that more than 82% of the respondents are directly affected by the displacement and observed deterioration in their overall living conditions. Astonishingly, 94.1% of the respondents were never compensated for displacement. The absence of the recognition of non-land based workers in land acquisition act renders many people ineligible for compensation; such people become more vulnerable during acquisition of land for development. Similar observations were recorded in Kalingangar, and lands were acquired without a compensatory plan for sections of the people. These events symbolize the growing demand for ensuring people’s safety and security of their living, livelihood, appropriate compensation and negotiation in case of displacements. The finding of the paper contributes in understanding the implications of land acquisition act implementation, and the impact of forceful acquisition on socio-economic conditions of the people.