[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

dam-l NAPM-TISS conference on Land Acquisition Act Amendment and rehabilitation policy



TATA INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, MUMBAI

NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PEOPLEíS MOVEMENTS


Press Note/ March 2,1999

Growing Opposition To Proposed Land Acquisition Bill

PEOPLEíS ORGANISATIONS FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE POLICY FOR
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS-DISPLACEMENT-RESETTLEMENT

Terming the proposed changes in the Land Acquisition Act and rehabilitation
policy as a part of the larger agenda of forces of globalisation and
liberalisation the peopleís movements in Maharashtra and western  India
have resolved to  resist the large scale displacement in the name of
development projects and oppose the proposed changes in the law and policy.
 The organisation asserted that the so called "public purpose" and "public
interest", presumed as an alibi for the displacement hitherto, needs to be
redefined with the peopleís participation and on the lines of
people-oriented development. The organisations and the experts called for a
joint campaign and struggle against these changes in the law and policies
and instead called for formulating peopleís policy regarding development,
displacement and resettlement.

The consensus was arrived  at the end of the two-day  conference on " Land
Acquisition (Amendment) Act and Rehabilitation Policy" organised jointly by
National Alliance of Peopleís Movement (NAPM) and Tata Institute of Social
Sciences (TISS), Mumbai on February 28 and March 1, 1999. Over a hundred
participants of 25 organisations including some students and teachers of
TISS participated in this workshop. Number of activists involved in the
struggles against the displacement were present. Activists like Ganesh
Khetale ( Konkan Sangharsha Samiti), Vilas Bhongade (Gosi Khurd Visthapit
Sangharsha Samiti) of  Vidarbha, Sunil (Kisan Adivasi Sangthan) working
among the oustees of Tawa project in M.P., Rajesh Tiwari, Munnalal Burman
and Babloo Patwa of Bargi Bandh Visthapit Sangharsha Samiti, M.P., Kusum
Karnik working with the people affected by Kanha National Park in M.P.,
Arvind Anjum (Visthapit Mukti Vahini) organising the oustees of
Subarnarekha Project in Bihar, Anand (Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti)
campaigning against pollution and displacement due to unmindful
industrialisation in Gujarat, Ulka Mahajan (Sarvahara Jan Andolan), R.V.
Bhuskute ( Shramjivi Sangathan), Brian Lobo ( Kashtakari Sangathan) and
Dilip Kadam (Samajwadi Jan Parishad) all from Konkan, Vitthal Lad ( Adivasi
Sanghathan, Mumbai), Shrinivas Kulkarni (Rachanatmak Sangharsha Samiti)
from Marathwada, Avinash B.J. of Koyana Jeevan Hakk Samrakshan Sangathana,
Vimal from NAPM , Delhi working with the urban oustees and Noorji Padvi of
Narmada Bachao Andolan presented the reality of the displacement, the
consequent violations of basic democratic and human rights and the peopleís
struggles, their achievements. Noted lawyer from Mumbai Adv. Colin
Gonsalves of Indian Peoplesí Tribunal, Monisha Coelho and the expert on
displacement and resettlement policies Prof. Walter Fernandes  explained
the provisions and implications of the proposed legislations and policies
regarding the land acquisition.

" At present, let alone the people and their organisations, but even the
Ministries like  Environment and Forest,  Social Justice and Rural
Development in the Central government are being sidelined and dominated by
the Ministries of  Power, Railways, Industries and Urban development which
are more interested in usurping the peopleís resources - the land, forest
and water," said Medha Patkar in her opening remarks at the conference.
Explaining the direct-indirect  ways of displacement she suggested that the
struggle against the dispossession and destitution must be multi-pronged
and multi-layered. The displacement issue is intrinsically linked with the
kind of development pattern we have been pursuing and now due to the
globalisation and liberalisation policies, with the onslaught of
national-multinational capital under the garb of WTO and World Bank
funding, this challenge would become more formidable. Linking these
struggles, the organisations must assert village communityís  right over
the  resources of that village, insist on the right to information  at all
levels and right to give/not to give consent to their displacement, she
suggested.


During the presentations, it became clear that, those who have been
displaced hitherto due to the large dams and other projects have not been
resettled fully. It was the unanimous demand of the organisations, as was
reflected by Sunil that " the movements must demand that unless all the
oustees displaced previously are resettled fully, there should be no talk
about the any more displacement". The meeting decided on certain
non-negotiable principles, as was expounded by Mr. Walter Fernandes.
Accordingly, there should be non-displacing or the least displacing
alternatives and there exist such alternatives for the present kind of
development. The development projects must be planned at the decentralised
level with the informed   participation of the people. Also, there should
be inbuilt principle of peopleís right to object and demand review of the
project at all levels. The definition of the displaced people must include
not only the landholders or property owners but all those whose livelihood
is affected by the  projects - including peasants, landless and other
manual labourers, fisherpeople, boatspeople , backward and nomadic castes
and tribes. Participants made it clear that the right of the village over
resources must include the  rights of the Dalits, landless, nomadic and
other deprived groups. After such conditioned and minute scrutiny, if there
is some minimum displacement, it must be dealt with utmost care, they
insisted. They emphasised "replacement value" of the resettlement package
for what is lost, it should never be mere cash compensation alone.

Apart from unitedly opposing the proposed amendments and changes the
organisations also deliberated about the alternative peopleís bill in place
of the present amendment and the proposed rehabilitation policy. Instead of
separate Land Acquisition  law and rehabilitation policy the organisations
made it clear that they aim at a comprehensive policy on " Development
projects, Displacement and resettlement".

Moreover, it was decided to establish a legal documentation centre where
all the petitions, judgements, acts regarding the displacement and
rehabilitation would be collected. Prof. Ms. Padma Velaskar of TISS
accepted the suggestion that the institution should house a comprehensive
documentation centre about all aspects of displacement. She suggested that
an in depth exploration regarding the vision of development be undertaken
by the organisations. The organisation decided to convince the members of
Legislatures, Parliament to take up the peopleís cause. Number of meetings,
workshops in Gujarat, Marathwada, Western Maharashtra and Vidarbha were
planned at the end of the two day conference. A group of TISS students has
taken initiative in studying the ongoing Mumbai-Pune expressway and
campaign to protect the rights of the people. They organised a short trip
to the affected villages by the express highway.

( PROF. SANJAY M.G. )   ( PROF. PADMA VELASKAR) ( MAHENDRA )