As we drove around various parts of the Indian sub-continent we noticed many different construction projects appearing along highways. Some looked like they were well underway, while others looked as if they had been abandoned with the scorching heat of the summer. We quickly learned that these were projects implemented by the government, many to help with India’s lack of infrastructure. Neoliberalism and the increased development brought along with globalization has changed India very rapidly. The past infrastructure cannot hold what is happening now, and what is ahead in the future for the country. The government must expand highways and create other building projects to keep up with the market. In order to do so the government needs land, and to get this land they take it away from the people.
During India’s colonial period the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 was established to allow the government to legally acquire land from individual landowners with proper compensation. In order for them to do this, the land must then be used for a public purpose. After independence this act was adopted and continued by the new government. Today India is seeing a whole new wave of land acquisition because of the more liberal markets and the amount of development happening throughout the country.
Driving through the countryside and in between cities our group saw a lot of this construction. We talked with Usha Ramanathan about a lot of the problems associated with this governmental control over land. Land is one of the most precious things a person can own, and to most Indians it is a huge part of their lives. Today much of this land that is being taken by the government and is used for making highways, dams, ect. It is causing huge problems, rather than helping the people and communities. Usha explained that farmers are getting their land taken from them and are not getting compensated enough for it. They are then left without much of their land, which accounts for their work, money, homes, and livelihood. The compensation that they are given is not enough to buy land to replace what they have lost and they are left with little to nothing. Many are forced into jobs outside of the agricultural sector and are soon at the bottom of that field because of the lack of training programs. On top of the economic problems, migrations happen because jobs are taken away and the development of dams causes mass displacement.
In addition hurting many individuals and families, it is not just the farmers that are being hurt. Whole communities are being affected by this acquisition of land by the government. It is seen that through development and increased infrastructure the country will see growing wealth through a trickle down effect. This is just not the case because in reality it is the people at the top who see the benefits of neoliberalism. The money does not trickle down at the rate that it should, and it creates more economic problems by causing a widening gap between the rich and poor. In the end it is not about the amount of money in a particular country, it is about how that money is being distributed and if the people at the top are the only ones benefitting, it is doing much more harm than good because it creates a growing gap.
Whole communities are being destroyed, along with a deep history and connection to the land. The governments are doing more harm than good by taking away this land from the people and to not even provide them with the proper compensation is unacceptable.
No comments:
Post a Comment