Development projects and impoverishment of displaced: a study with respect to NTPC, Kerala

Development projects leading to involuntary relocation become more critical when acquisition is mainly from private land owners. The problem is more complicated in a state like Kerala where availability of land per head is very low. This paper seeks to understand the impact of a Thermal Power Plan on the displaced population and the Project Affected Persons. The project is NTPC project at Kayamkulam and the project area is a coastal belt, covering five villages in Alleppey district of Kerala state. Fifteen per cent of the total displaced (2244), selected through proportionate random sampling method, in the project area is the sample size of the study. Using Scaling technique, the eight risks, as developed by Cernea, have been estimated and as such it is explored that the Project Affected Persons(PAPs) in consequent upon the implementation of the project are adversely affected in terms of land, job, marginalization and food insecurity. The only two aspects in which PAPs are in a comparatively advantageous position are ‘home’ and ‘health’. The former agrees with the hypothesis that the typical Keralite utilizes his earning for constructing house and in the current situation major part of the compensation received by PAPs is spent on house construction. PAPs in terms of distance from educational institutions are also not adversely affected as there are educational institutions in rural and urban areas due to the success of Kerala development experience. Though health is maintained after displacement, the PAPs residing near the Naptha tank, those near the township and the fishermen community near the plant reported serious complaints of ill health due to the project. However, landlessness and joblessness situations are found worse than any other aspects. PAPs are also adversely hit by common property and social disarticulation, not by the same extent as in the case of land, job etc. In toto, the PAPs are impoverished marginally with the implementation of the project.