Land Acquisition for Development
Wisdom expressed on forums discussing Land Acquisition for industrial development by Govt. and/or finally by some industrial houses have been mind boggling for a simple minded person like me. I do not understand the justification of depriving a person, or a family, or a village or whatever, of their means of livelihood for the benefit of those who are capable of expanding their empire by any other alternative mean. Can depriving a family of its land that has been the only source of livelihood for generations and may remain so for generations to come, be deemed justified under any pretext?
Then I hear of compensation to those whose source of livelihood is being snatched away. Wise people, very knowledgeable in economic theories, management and financial wizards, political pundits and such put their minds together to estimate the most reasonable compensation. I do not know what time frame they have in mind when they do this, but I am sure they do not think of generations to come over centuries. Because doing so will defeat their interests or may be they are incapable of estimating on this consideration or doing this will jeopardize the interests of those who hire them.
Agreed, that there is valuable mineral deposits there, but who deposited it there? Are these deposits like any deposit in a bank which can be taken out by the one who deposited it? Even if it is then the person owning the rights to the land has the right to do so when he deems fit. No one else can just go and by fair means or foul take that deposit out ignoring the right of the owner. Is it not robbery? Will a Govt. support one who wants to demolish a house of another where the one knows that there is a big load of gold ornaments lying, hid beneath the foundation by someone unknown and of which the owner has no knowledge? Will anybody term such an act right when the present owner is given just a compensation for the house at “market rate”? Well go ahead a term it a naïve question!
Another funny point I want to draw attention of the wise as an example to show what happens/ed when means of livelihood is snatched away. Funny, because it would seem so to the wise though it does not appear so to my puny mind. The forests in and around Hazaribagh; Hazaribagh because, that is the place I am a little familiar with, were destroyed by the unscrupulous, greedy, insensitive industrialists with whom the Govt. officials joined hands. The records may not show so, but it is a fact. The area was full of wild life of various species including human whom we now-a-days call tribals. The forest was the source of livelihood to all of them and they thrived there, I dare say happily. Now not a single living wild tiger or cheetah or such highly respected wild dwellers can be found in the whole of Hazaribagh district. This may be so in all of Jharkhand and again may be in all of the once densely forested areas all over the world. Are we not deprived of the various wild lives which we now-a-days call endangered species? Are we not deprived of the various human cultures that lived in such areas and thrived? Where are the highly cultured Bheels, Santhaals, Mundas? What happened to the proud Red Indians who roamed over the whole of American continents? Is this called evolution? I call it invasion, annihilation brought about by the greed of unscrupulous human beings shamelessly terming it as development.
