Introduction:
The process of socio-economic development initiated under the successive Five-Years had provided a scope for the establishment of a various large industries in resource rich, but paradoxically backward tribal areas. Several development projects in different parts of the country were initiated due to
opportunities in the post-Independence period. All these development activities have become unquestioned symbols of national progress because they are usually implemented in backward and tribal areas where modern development is yet to be initiated. These activities have induced both direct and indirect benefits in the form production, etc. On the other hand, the same projects have also caused enormous uprooting of tribal population from their habitat, loss of agricultural and forest-based occupations, disorganisation of social structure, disintegration of life style of local people, etc.
The industrial policy adopted after Independence had given a scope for the exploitation of vast resources like Bauxite, Aluminium. Manganese, etc., and this process had led to the establishment of large industries in different parts of tribal areas. Thus, a number of industries such as steel plants at Jamshedpur, Rourkela, Bhilai and Bokaro, Heavy Engineering Corporation at Ranchi, thermal plants and coal mines in Singrauli region, Aluminium plants in Orissa, etc. have come up in tribal areas. All these industries have displaced people enmasse from their habit and occupations. A conservative estimated indicated that about 20 lakh people were displaced due to establishment of industries in the past and out of these only 6.5 lakh could be rehabilitated (Das, et al. 1988:274). In most cases the uprooted people were usually tribal and other economically weaker sections of the society.
It was estimated that the proportion of tribals displaced by the development projects varied between 52 to 100 per cent (Reddy, 1989:5). These people had been forced to sacrifice their interests and sentiments attached to their traditional villages, homes and lands in the larger interest of the society and nation.
Industrialisation may have proved to be good for the nation, but as far as the tribals are concerned it has proved to be disastrous creating several problems in the process of their readjustment in the new environment.
It is clear that displaced seems to be an off-shoot of the present pattern of development. One important indicator of the continuing powerlessness of the weaker sections is that there is no participation or sharing of the benefits of the specific development project that displaced them. The rehabilitation of those displaced people, mostly consisting of tribals has been considered to be the most serious aspect of displacement. In the new industrial urban environment, the tribal communities were found to be socially dislocated. An example of the general failure in tackling the problem of rehabilitation of displaced tribals was that of the 14,561 families in Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa, displaced from 62,491 acres of land, out of whom only 3479 were allotted alternative lands.
The process of industrialisation has had both positive and negative impacts on tribal life.
Positive impacts:
The most positive impacts of large industrial projects are generation of employment opportunities, increase in levels of production, rise in income and consumption levels, development of infrastructural facilities etc. Besides a few social benefits may also accrue as a direct impact of the projects.
- a) Employment in non-traditional sectors: One of the main objective of any large industry established in backward tribal areas is to create more job opportunities in non-traditional sectors. It is excepted that these industries will provide scope for increasing the earning and purchasing capacity of the local population. For instance, the NALCO Project in Koraput district of Orissa had created about 6,300 direct jobs and also provided scope for 20,000 indirect job opportunities through ancillary industries, transport contact, shopping complexes, etc. Thus, any industrial project will create a substantial indirect employment opportunity which will enable the local people to raise their living standards. The most striking feature of the changing economy in NALCO Project area was reflected through direct or indirect employment of a large number of villagers in non-traditional jobs. Among the workers of surveyed household in NALCO Project area a large proportion (50%) were working as wage labourers, followed by unskilled workers (25%), semi-skilled workers (9%) and the remaining 14 per cent were found to be pursuing agriculture and other activities. This was in control to 82 percent of workers in the district who were solely engaged in agricultural activities. Further, NALCO provided direct employment to one able bodied person among the displaced families as a part of occupation rehabilitation.
- b) Impact on hinterland: It is excepted that the large industrial projects will significantly contribute to the all-round development and maximising the use of local skills and abundant resources. The establishment of industrial projects and township will create huge demand for agricultural commodities such as food grains, pulses, vegetables, fruits, milk, eggs, etc. this will result in the commercialisation of agriculture in the villages and the local people from the neighbouring village will come to the townships in the evenings to sell vegetables, cereals and other agricultural products. It was also felt that the local people will be motivated to develop poultry farming and animal’s husbandry due to the demand in the townships. The commercialisation of agriculture is expected to contribute significantly to the growth of regional income and improvement in the living standards.
- c) Development of infrastructures and facilities: The industrial activates in the project areas have created strong market forces for their own demand of different consumer items and thus has helped these small towns to emerge as regional markets with large services areas beyond the limits of the project complexes. Various facilities such as education, health, banks, cooperatives etc. have also come up. Further, a large number of small scale and cottage industries are coming up as ancillaries and auxiliaries of the projects. All these new development impulses are gradually reach the surrounding villages and thus providing scope for quicker economic transformation in the region.
Negative impacts:
Besides creating certain positive benefits, the industrial project has also induced several negative implications. These are mostly social in nature. The most serious ones are disharmony in the social system, decline in the forest economy, increased frustration, increased consumption of alcohol, crimes against women, etc.
- (a) Impact on social system: The industrial projects have induced complete disharmony in the social organisation due to individualistic nature of jobs, changed income structures, high cost of living etc. The great adverse impact has been the displacement of tribals from their ancestral habit and loss of traditional occupations like agriculture, forestry and associated activities. The eviction of tribals from their habitat is the most serious aspect of displacement from the point of removing them from their natural surroundings which plays an important role in the social and cultural life of tribals. These natural surroundings are not provided in the new settlements, which in turn shatters their social, cultural and physical links.
- (b) Impact on traditional functions: The tribal societies which were once close and integrated are now becoming loose and discrete. The people have become more materialistic and individualistic. Inter-personal relationships which were based on kinship ties and sense of familiarity have become more impersonal and indifferent. Mutual help and cooperation for each other at the time of need has completely disappeared in the new resettlement colonies. In the process they have lost their homogeneity which is a tribal characteristic. The communal festivals which were once important, have lost their charm and attraction. The local people feel that the religious sentiments are no longer associated with the functions of male members. Only ceremonial, family functions and festivals exist today. In the ancestral villages, the leadership used to be determined by birth and seniority, but at present wealth and education have become the determining factors of leaders. Further, tobacco, ganja and bhang are also consumed in large quantities. Instead of native rice beer, the distilled liquor which is harmful and more intoxicating has become more popular. The breaking up of village organisation and corporate life along with acquiring many habits like excess drinking, use of cosmetic, costly dress, etc. have also drained away most of their resources.
- (c) Environmental hazards: The establishment of large industries have also brought certain environmental hazards, which are affect-man, animal, and plants. Emitting pollutants into the air, releasing of effluents in to the water and dumping of solid wasters in the open grounds are common environmental hazards in the industrial projects. These will have implications in the form of (i) disturbance of the land itself, (ii) soil erosion, (iii) dislocation of water balance, (iv) generation of dust, noise, and fumes, (v) spread of diseases and disturbances of the national economic system and (vi) disturbances caused due to the creation of infrastructures. For instance, the NALCO project is generating 0.25 kg of dust of per metric tonne of bauxite during open cast mining activities. In addition, significant air pollution from exhaust fumes during heavy vehicular movement and noise pollution one effecting the spread of diseases to men, animals and crops.