Maladies of Development in India - Protest against Large Scale Dams: A Case of Hirakud Dam

Abstract

Development for whom, who get the benefits etc. became principal agenda in the present development discourses. It not limited to the development practitioners, politicians but also among the intellectuals. Major developmental projects which required larger areas of land such as dams projects, unable to provide proper rehabilitation to the effected people. The case of Hirakud Dam stands as an example of malady development in India. Numbers of big dams were constructed in the country, but, even till date no successful case of rehabilitation and resettlement comes to front. The questions deserve the right to ask the government and development practitioners, decision makers of the country. Who get the benefit? For whom you made such projects? If the common people (at least the affected people) should enjoy the benefit from the development project. The paper tends to highlight development scenario of the country with reference to big dams, and tries to draw conclusion from the Hirakud Dam project in Odisha, retain the position of longest earthen dam of world. The milieu of successful, failure of resettlement causes of the rebellion against the dam. The affected people have no got their compensation till today. On the other hand government of Indian planned more numbers of hydro-projects (Dams), industrial set up. Can, new projects escape from the malady?