The rehabilitation of human settlements stands as a pivotal aspect within the realm of environmental impact assessment, consistently engendering controversy during the planning of major developmental projects. The intricacies of urban development, infrastructural expansions, and industrial endeavors often necessitate the resettlement or rehabilitation of communities, raising concerns about socio-economic disruptions and ecological ramifications. Balancing progress with environmental sustainability and social equity is a delicate task, prompting the need for comprehensive mitigation measures when proposing major developmental projects. These measures span a spectrum of strategies aimed at minimizing the adverse consequences of human settlement rehabilitation, encompassing thoughtful planning, stakeholder engagement, environmental conservation, and the implementation of inclusive policies. By integrating these measures, policymakers can strive to strike an equilibrium between societal advancement and environmental preservation, mitigating the potential negative impacts on communities and ecosystems alike. This essay will delve into the multifaceted measures suggested for mitigating the environmental impact of human settlement rehabilitation, exploring how careful planning, community involvement, and sustainable practices can foster a harmonious coexistence between development and environmental stewardship.
Tag: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Decoding the Question:
- In Intro, try to relate Major projects and adverse environmental impact
- In Body,
- Discuss controversies surrounding human settlement rehabilitation due to major developmental projects
- Write about mitigation strategies to be followed
- In Conclusion, try to balance the need for development with environmental protection.
Answer:
Major projects require large resources, especially land. Project Displaced Persons (PDP) has come to be recognized as a category of Internally Displaced Persons by the United Nations Human Rights Commission.Since most projects are located in forest areas and mineral-rich interiors they have impacted tribals and forest dwellers disproportionately. Such projects have caused displacement of 40% of tribals though they constitute only 8% of the total Indian population.
For example, the Sardar Sarovar project caused the displacement of more than a million people.
Implementing the progressive Land Acquisition Resettlement and Rehabilitation Act, 2013 in letter and spirit can make a huge difference. The Act replaced the archaic colonial Land Acquisition Act of 1884 which caused a lot of resentment. It provides for various measures to assess and mitigate the impacts of the projects:
- Social Impact Assessment: Before implementation of actual projects social impact assessment needs to be carried out and people’s involvement in the projects needs to be taken care of. SIA will help to carry out projects in a better and smoother manner.
- Empowering Gram Sabha: While planning a big project, Gram Sabha should be taken into confidence before implementing any project. Gram Sabha has a constitutional mandate and right to look into the betterment of people’s lives at the grassroots level.
- Adequate rehabilitation: PDPs should get their due rights and adequate means for securing their life. Providing fertile lands, employment in projects for their income security, and financial literacy is very important in order to spend money in a good manner.
- Other livelihood opportunities: Alternate livelihood opportunities by skill training as well as employment should be arranged for. Disruption of traditional vocations have often condemned the PDP to poverty and made them daily wage workers.
- Integrated holistic development: Setting up a mechanism for integrated holistic development taking into consideration the concerns of the PDPs. This approach will not only build confidence between project-affected people and government and private players but also it makes land acquisition very smooth.
- Singrur judgment: In the Singrur judgement apex court has criticized the inept and illegitimate handling of power by the then government. The court said it should not be left unacknowledged that when eminent domain is exercised the displaced person is not provided with anything but cash compensation.
Government should avoid a growth-at-any-cost attitude and look at the real impact the project would have on empowering the common man. The talisman given by the Father of nation Gandhi can be a better guiding star for inclusive development. Any natural disaster may render all the effort useless, impairing the entire ecology dysfunctional for even centuries. Alternative models based on networking of localized development projects should be explored.
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