ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book demonstrates how the Narmada waters became the stake in a bitter riparian conflict. It shows that the factors influencing perceptions of losses and gains in the local setting included changes in resettlement entitlements, goals and orientation of action groups in the movement, as well as differences in local economies and environment. The book also shows the main features of the anti-dam narrative constructed in the global articulation of the movement. It gives some indication of this effect in the context of the Sardar Sarovar Project. Exercising this option would also mean reorienting the goals of development. Here, the criteria for development goals are not (unlimited) growth and accumulation but basic needs, distributive justice and environmental sustainability.
