It is exactly a year since Tisco announced its plans to set up an integrated steel plant. The 10-12 mtpa project at Gopalpur, a coastal village in southern Orissa is perhaps the largest ever undertaking by the private sector in India. The project though ambitious involves the shifting of 2,083 families comprising 10,661 inhabitants in seven villages. Tisco has just announced its rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) plan. If it succeeds, it could serve as an important input in the formulation of a national R&R policy.
Approximately 15 million people have been displaced in India till 1985. This has been on account of large multipurpose river valley projects, heavy industries, building of roads and highways and in myriad other mining activities. Still the country lacks a coherent and comprehensive R&R policy. And the Tata project could throw some key pointers.
The process of setting up the steel plant has now entered a crucial phase. Of the total requirement of 5,550 acres, around 1,000 acres of inhabited land have already been acquired.
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In the preceding one year, the most important priority has been to get the projected affected persons (PAPs) to believe in the Tatas promise of caring for them in the long run following displacement.
A crucial element in the process is the R&R plan itself. The plan document is a vital element in the strategy to manage and institutionalise rapid change at Gopalpur. Three major initiatives have been taken. On the policy front, the fundamental objective is to ensure total rehabilitation. It is claimed that the package has been evolved after taking into consideration the needs of the local population, their socio-economic conditions and the available infrastructure facilities. Also, in order that the least possible disturbance is created to the existing way of life, a detailed socio-economic survey of all the villages involved is being conducted by the Personnel Department of the Berhampur University. The survey, which is at the instance of Tata Steel, will include both family and village profiles. On the institutional front, a structure is being established delineating responsibilities for individual R&R activities. Thirdly, the document notes the continued commitment of Tata Steel towards the
long term sustainability of the resettled villages.
Thus the promise is to improve significantly the condition of the PAPs. Rehabilitation measures besides providing compensation and means of livelihood, will also include steps for physical, social, economic, educational environmental, occupational and cultural development. Lastly, a welcome decision has been to institute periodic monitoring and evaluation of the entire process, including that of the developmental impact, by independent consultants. This is in the best traditions of the Tata ethos to maintain transparency and objectivity.
All plans look good on paper. It is in their implementation that one encounters a process of muddling through. These can be divided into three parts: the developmental approach required to manage a change of this magnitude, the social dynamics of the concerned villages and measures to maintain cultural continuity with the past.