Online published on 16 January, 2017.
There are many studies on dams and development, their damaging effects on ecosystems, impact of involuntary displacement and the process of resettlement and rehabilitation. However independent studies on dams have added a new dimension, concluding that multipurpose river valley development plans are inextricably linked to the political economy of decolonisation inspired by nationalism and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru even called large dams “modern secular temples”. In this context, a study of the River Mahanadi mega-dam complex in Orissa, shows that its execution had clear connections with a nationalist modernising agenda and was inspired by the American Tennessee Valley Authority.
