Socio-Economic Impact of Dhamra Port Project on Local Economy:An Assessment

Objectives: The study attempts to analyse the impact of the Dhamra port project on socio-economic lives of different categories of people and various changes that has been witnessed in the local economy.

Methods/Statistical Analysis: The study is based on primary data collected from 140 project affected households. The structured questionnaires have been used to collect the necessary data by conducting a household survey based on the purposive sampling technique. The sampling households have been categorised in accordance with their vulnerabilities.

Findings: The development of the infrastructure project for achieving higher growth of international trade has threatened the socio-economic lives of local people. The people those who have contributed and facilitated the location of the port project have been displaced from their habitats (physically) and from livelihoods (economically) in the process of development. They are supposed to be included in the development agendas of the country but excluded in the process. The compensation they receive for contributing the location of the port project is hardly sufficient to maintain their existing standard of living.

Application/Improvements: The necessary measures should be promulgated and implemented keeping the project affected people in the forefront especially those who are contributing to the development projects by losing their physical assets such as land and fishing as their source of livelihood.