Abstract

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.

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Abstract

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.

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