River Narmada, endower of bliss, has been a home and a source of sustenance for millions for hundreds of years. All was well for these forty-five million people, both the tribals deep in the forest and the non-tribals thriving on the banks of the river, till the decision to construct 3,200 dams on the river was taken which were to displace about four lakh people from their habitat at its final height of 455 feet. Rights to its citizens are the essence of democracy but the dammed development has grossly violated the human, fundamental, democratic and constitutional rights of the displaced given to them in the Indian constitution. Till now, the displaced were mute victims of the development projects, but first time in the history of independent India, people questioned the undemocratic architype of development which evolved into a social movement known as ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’. This book critically analyses the Democratic Development in India since Independence and an urgent need to rethink the existing model in favour of a sustainable democratic paradigm of development based on equity and justice.
Contents –
PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. The Basics in a Nutshell
PART II: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES
2. Historical Perspective of Democracy and Development Since Independence
3. Various Models of Economic Development Existing in the Developed Countries of the World at the Time of Independence
4. Dams and Development in India after Independence
PART III: ALL ABOUT RIVER NARMADA AND THE PROJECT
5. The Dream of Sardar Sarovar Project and the Politics of Development
6. The River Narmada – Endower of Bliss! Life and People on the Banks of Narmada
7. The NWDT Award 1979: The ‘Dream Plan’ Emerges
8. The Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy as per NWDTA
9. The Displacement as a Result of Big Dams on River Narmada
PART IV: VIOLATION OF RIGHTS OF THE DISPLACED
10. Violation of Rights of the Displaced as a Result of Damned Development on River Narmada
11. The Real Story of Rehabilitation and Resettlement
PART V: ROLE OF NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN
12. Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) as a Prominent Social Movement in the Post-Independent India
13. Analysing Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) in the Context of Indian Democracy
PART VI: DECISION-MAKING AND DEVELOPMENT – ROLE OF LEGISLATURE, EXECUTIVE AND JUDICIARY
14. Study of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Debates with Respect to Narmada Dam Project
15. Role of the Executive with Respect to Narmada Dam Project
16. Role of Supreme Court on Various Issues with Respect to Narmada Dam
17. Conclusion – The Failed State
PART VII: A DISCOURSE ON DAMS, DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT
18. The Concept and Context of Existing Model of Development
19. A New Paradigm of Sustainable Democratic Development
Bibliography
Narmada Photos
