Objectives: This study analyses the physically as well as economically displaced households due to development of Dhamra port project in Odisha in India and makes a comparative analysis of changes in the socio-economic condition of the displaced households living vicinity area of the port project.
Method: This study has made use of both primary and secondary data. The primary data has been collected based on stratified purposive sampling by using questionnaire method. Total sample of 140 households have been collected and categorised as the displaced households (DHs), government encroacher households (GEHs), private encroacher households (PEHs) and land loser households (LLHs).
Findings: The development of the port project has diversified the occupation of the project affected households. They have lost their traditional occupation of fishing. Their market dependence has increased and made the women unemployed. The rearing of the livestock has decreased and cost of cultivation of paddy has increased. In this way, they have become poorer by losing their major occupation of fishing.
Improvement: The people who are contributing the development process by losing their and livelihoods are becoming the vulnerable and victim of modern development paradigm. Therefore, before beginning of any development projects, the potential consequences have to be assessed properly and victims of the development projects should be compensated properly.