ABSTRACT
Development-induced displacement has become controversial because millions of people have been displaced or deprived of their livelihood all over India in the name of greater good or national development. Those who are thus affected rarely get to decide whose good it is. However, use of agricultural land for industrialisation leads to a number of adverse socioeconomic and cultural impacts in the rural societies. The district of Paschim Medinipur in West Bengal is chiefly an agro-based district where more than seventy percent of the population lives in rural area and majority of whom depends on agriculture and related activities.
In this micro-level study, we would present some empirical data on the socio-economic and cultural consequences of land acquisition for the establishment of a heavy industry (Tata Metaliks) on the fertile agricultural land in the Kharagpur subdivision of Paschim Medinipur district in the early 1990s by the West Bengal government.
The findings revealed that land acquisition, which took place about two decades ago has worsened the socio-economic condition of the affected sadgope families and the people are also making attempts to cope up with the situation by adopting various strategies, some of which have further adverse effects on their socio-economic condition. Largely, land acquisition in the absence of proper rehabilitation and pre-project impact assessment has shown a downward spiralling effect in the study area.
