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The Dam and the Nation: Displacement and Resettlement in the Narmada Valley.
Edited by Jean Dreze, Meera Samson and Satyajit Singh. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1997. Pp.ix + 328. L25. ISBN 019 5640047
In recent years, the dark sides of dams and forced displacement have been brought to the fore by the debates surrounding the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP), a large dam on the Narmada River in Gujarat, India. The SSP is one of the world's most controversial dams, not least because it will displace about 250,000 people. The book The Dam and the Nation sets out to present a detailed investigation of displacement and resettlement in the Narmada Valley. Apart from exploring the various positions and controversies concerning resettlement in the Narmada Valley, the book provides useful lessons for issues concerning development-induced-displacement. It also makes a strong case for dam-building authorities to make radical changes in the administering, conceptualisation and implementation of compensatory packages awarded to displaced people.
The book's strength lies in presenting detailed and illuminating analyses of a wide range of subjects such as policy changes in resettlement and rehabilitation, debates on tribal identity, and conflicts between different civil society actors. It comprises ten papers written by researchers and activists who have been involved with the Narmada issue for many years. The introduction by Satyajit Singh and the paper by S. Parasuraman provide excellent analyses of the historical changes in resettlement and rehabilitation and the interactions between the anti-dam movement and policy processes in the Narmada Valley. As a result of the long-standing battles of various civil society actors with the governments of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Mahrashtra and the World Bank, the resettlement programme has emerged as a landmark in the history of resettlement and rehabilitation in India. Nevertheless, the detailed case studies in this volume - conducted by independent...