Kushabhau Thakre University Of

Journalism And Mass Communication

Subject- Contemporary Issues

Roll No.- 2001732
Semester – 5th (BAJMC)

Submitted To- Submitted By-

Dr. Rajendra Mohanty Aabhas Raj
My Topic –
Importance of Rehabilitation & Resettlement
(R & R) in case of Big Projects.
 Context

• Meaning of Resettlement & Rehabilitation

• The Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill
• Key Issues and Analysis
• Case Study
• Conclusion
 RESETTLEMENT

Population transfer or resettlement is the movement of a large group

of people from one region to another, often a form of forced migration
imposed by state policy or international authority and most frequently
on the basis of ethnicity or religion. Banishment or exile is a similar
process, but is forcibly applied to individuals and groups.Often the
affected population is transferred by force to a distant region, perhaps
not suited to their way of life, causing them substantial harm. In
addition, the loss of all immovable property and, when rushed, the loss
of substantial amounts of movable property, is implied. This transfer
may be motivated by the more powerful party's desire to make other
uses of the land in question or, less often, by disastrous environmental
or economic conditions that require relocation.
 REHABILITATION
• The restoration of someone to a useful place in society
• The conversion of wasteland into land suitable for use of
habitation or cultivation
• The act of restoring something or someone to a satisfactory state
• The state of being restored to its former good condition
The Rehabilitation and Resettlement
Bill, 2007
Highlights of the Bill
The Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2007 provides for benefits
and compensation to people displaced by land acquisition purchases or
any other involuntary displacement. The Bill creates project-specific,
state and national authorities to formulate, implement, and monitor
the rehabilitation and resettlement process.For large scale
displacement, the government shall conduct a social impact
assessment. It shall appoint an Administrator for Rehabilitation and
Resettlement who is responsible for formulating, executing, and
monitoring the rehabilitation and resettlement plan.
• The Bill outlines minimum benefits for displaced families and the
criteria for eligibility. Benefits may include land, house, monetary
compensation, skills training and preference for jobs.

• The Bill establishes the post of Ombudsman to address any

grievances from the rehabilitation and resettlement process. Civil
courts are barred from entertaining any suits related to this matter.
Key Issues and Analysis
• Though the purpose of the Bill is to ‘provide for the rehabilitation and
resettlement’ of affected persons, the Bill itself does not require that these
persons be resettled.While the Statement of Objects and Reasons
mentions minimising displacement, protecting livelihoods, and improving
living standards, the language in the Bill does not make these clauses
mandatory.
• The affected families eligible for benefits are identified as of the date of
declaration of the affected area. This declaration is made when 400 or more
families are affected en masse. It is not clear whether benefits apply in
cases where fewer families are displaced.The National Rehabilitation
Policy, 2007 requires residency for 3 years in the affected area for
displacement benefits. The Bill requires 5 years.The
• The Bill bars civil courts from entertaining any suits on issues under the authority
of the Administrator, Commissioner, or Ombudsman. These authorities are
effectively given the power of a judicial authority without judicial qualifications.
There is also no mechanism for appeals.

• The Bill does not specify a clear timeframe for rehabilitation.

 Case Study
Jharia Coalfield, Jharkhand
Resettlement and Rehabilitation case.
Jharia is among the oldest coal mining regions of India. Located in the Dhanbad
district of Jharkhand, it is infamous for rampant underground fires and sinking land
owing to the large deposits of coal beneath it. The first underground fire was recorded
in 1916. There is also the problem of irrational decommissioning of abandoned mines.

A few years ago, the government had resettled the local people living in the vulnerable
areas of Jharia, to a new township named Belgaria, around seven kilometres away.

However, new challenges have come up for the resettled colony residents, after the
move.“If we knew about the conditions in Bulgaria we could have avoided coming
here,” a 60-year-old woman from the colony, who wishes to remain anonymous, said,
referring to the problem of unemployment in the new location. Her son Ali, told
Mongabay-India, “A lot of national and international media often come here to report.
They come and go, but nothing changes here.”
Reduced employment opportunities-

Though Belgaria is seven kilometres away from Jharia, due to the lack of
adequate transport connectivity, the residents find it difficult to commute
for work. The employment avenues have also dwindled. A majority of the
population earns daily wages and works in the unorganised sector. A good
portion of their earnings is often spent in the commute to nearby areas like
Dhanbad or Jharia for work. Those who have moved from Jharia, claim that
the jobs were easily available there. With income reduced, disagreements
and domestic discord has also increased.Suresh Bhuiyan moved to Belgaria
six years ago from Dabri colony. He previously used to work in the private
sector through a tender that he received from the railway department.
Now, he has moved even further, about a thousand kilometres away, to
Chennai in Tamil Nadu, to earn a livelihood for his family.Similar are the
stories of many others from this resettled village. Belgaria was created
for the families who were living in Jharia and adjoining areas, affected
by underground fires.

The government has earmarked 595 spots in Jharia which are affected
by underground fires and sinking of land. Apart from this, a total of 868
public places have been marked as affected areas due to fires and
sinking of land. This includes banks, marketing complexes, religious
sites and others. Some media reports have claimed Jharia to be the
biggest burning area of the world.
When questioned about the issue of employment, Baliapur Block
Development Officer (BDO) Amit Kumar told Mongabay-India, “Yes.
Such conditions exist in such areas. We plan to connect the
unemployed with Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme (MGNREGS) by organising special camps. But our
experience is that people there are not interested to work under
MGNREGS.” MGNREGS is an Indian federal government scheme for
rural employment where work (mainly labour-intensive) is provided
for certain months in a year.

Baliapur Block Programme Officer for MGNREGS, Vishal Kumar,

said that till June 2022, a total of 380 people living in Belgaria,
registered for MGNREGS but hardly 100 people work
under the scheme.
The resettlement plan
Haradhan Roy, the MP from Asansol, was active on the issue of
underground fires in the coal-mined areas of Jharkhand and West
Bengal and often raised the issue in Indian Parliament and also led
several of these cases to courts. He had filed a petition before the
Supreme Court, on the issue of rehabilitation of communities living in
the danger zones in Jharia and West Bengal’s Raniganj. This led to the
creation and implementation of the Jharia Master Plan in August 2009.
With this plan, the Belgaria township was created in the Palani
panchayat in the Baliapur Block of Dhanbad district.
Under this plan, the works on dousing the fires and resettlement of the
aggrieved families were given to the BCCL (Bharat Coking Coal Limited) and
the works of underground survey and diversion of other basic infrastructure
and resettlement of non-BCCL workers were given to Jharia Rehabilitation
and Development Authority (JRDA). BCCL and JRDA were sanctioned Rs.
7,112.11 crores. The funds are released by Coal India Limited (CIL) which
comes under India’s Ministry of Coal.

JRDA’s officer-in-charge, Amar Prasad told Mongabay-India, “Through the

Jharkhand Livelihood Mission, we are trying to connect the communities
with employment.” Asha Kujur, Team Leader of JRDA Project Monitoring
Team said that the number of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) this year increased
from 30 to 50. Each SHG comprises 12 to 15 women. Their State Livelihood
Promotion Society is training them in stitching and embroidery works. Plans
are also in the pipeline to train them to make pickles and murabba
(preserves).
The Member of Parliament (MP) from Dhanbad, Pashupati Nath
Singh however, is of a different opinion. He told Mongabay-India,
“This whole concept (of Belgaria resettlement) was wrong. They
should have been resettled in areas close to Jharia, where there
was no fire so that they could have gotten jobs.

”Besides unemployment, there is also a dearth of basic facilities

in Belgaria. Residents told Mongabay-India that water supply to
this area is also erratic, the piles of garbage are getting bigger
and drains are overflowing. They also complained of cracks on
the walls of their houses and degrading roof ceilings.
 Conclusion

After the rehabilitation and resettlement, experts highlighted the need for
long term employment and welfare plans by the government, specifically
designed for the resettled population. A few years ago, the government had
resettled the local people living in the vulnerable areas of Jharia, to a new
township named Belgaria, around seven kilometres away. The demands for
decommissioning coal-based plants are increasing around the world.
However, concerns are also raised over the fate of several communities who
are directly or indirectly dependent on coal mines for their livelihood. The
demand for a ‘just transition’ which refers to the justice in energy transition is
rising across the globe including in India