Impact of Development Induced Displacement in Kerala, India

Abstract

The present research study investigates the impact of land acquisition for development on the lives and livelihoods of displaced households from three major development project sites in Kerala, a state in South India. The projects sites include Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL) at Kannur, Techno City at Trivandrum and International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Ernakulam in Kerala1. A total of 227 households were selected randomly from the 555 displaced households of these sites for detailed enquiry using a validated structured questionnaire. Information on their loss of physical assets, social assets, livelihood, and food security were collected to compare their quality of life before and after displacement. A Quality of Life Index (QLI) of these households was then constructed using nine parameters: access to land, ownership of residence, quality of housing, food security, health of family members, employment status, access to basic infrastructure, nature of community life and extent of social inclusion. The major findings reveal that their QLI changed significantly. The statistical analysis using T-test showed that in each project site it got reduced significantly (p-value<0.01). Their overall living conditions also showed that the displaced from KIAL had higher QLI compared to those from ICTT and Techno City. This resulting observation can partly be explained due to factors such as good governance and unique community approaches of the acquisition agencies. In conclusion we observed that if the free market mechanism in its urge to climb new heights unsettles the development needs of the poor, the state must definitely frame laws to prevent that and ensure adequate and timely resettlement of the victims of development.