Bhavnath Temple Case

Executive Summary: After independence in 1947, the central and provincial government
directed towards all round economic development. As per planning in the undivided Bombay
province a project was planned to develop dams across rivers Lokmata and Sadmata in the
northern part of Gujarat. But this creation would lead to submergence of large area of land
belonging to some 20 villages which further lead affected people to be resettled somewhere
else and also providing them with houses and alternate source of livelihood. Furthermore, it
would also result in submergence of the temple of Bhavnath located in projected reservoir
which has substantive religious and cultural significance to the people of that region. Hence,
they were protesting adamantly against the construction of dam. Despite being a pertinent
step to enhance irrigation and thereby agricultural output, Government of Gujarat has to
provide proper settlement for the people without hurting their religious sentiments.
Situation Analysis: There is a communication gap between government and people. As both
are not able to understand each other's priorities and come to a consensus.
Government is inclined towards economic development and is thus focused on building dam
without considering the religious sentiments of the people and socio-cultural cost associated
with shifting of temple.
Similarly, people are biased towards their religious sentiments and are thus not considering
the economic benefits associated with the construction of dam.
Statement Of Objective: Construction of dam for Economic development of the region by
solving the issue of resettlement and Generation of Livelihood without hurting religious
sentiments.
Problem Statement: Accelerating the Socio- economic development without going against
people's religious belief and their cultural heritage.

Criteria for decision making:

1. The dam must be built without delay.

2. Religious sensibilities should not be offended.
3. Concern for the government's credibility is necessary.
4. Increasing the irrigation area in some way.
5. Keeping the balance between socioeconomic and religious feelings in check.
Alternatives:
As per the situation we can think about following alternatives.
First alternative could be that the dam is built as per the initial plan of undivided Bombay
province. In this alternative, the temple will not be shifted and the government will have to
bear some economic cost.
Second alternative could be that the government adopts dam layout, as per final
recommendation of the Bombay government, which is to shift the temple to a suitable and
generally acceptable place. Irrespective of people's agreement. As it would lead to economic
development.
The third alternative is that the government negotiates with the religious and political leaders
of the village and try to explain to them the benefits of shifting the temple. Making them
realize the greater good of economic development. If people agree to it then it would be a
win-win situation for both the parties involved.
Choice of alternative:
Out of all the alternatives, third alternative seems most suitable for the given situation as it
will serve the purpose of economic development and greater good without offending the
people. This would let the residents comprehend that the dam infrastructure will boost
irrigation potential in the area, hence enhancing agricultural production. The relocation of the
temple to a more suitable location while taking into account the religious beliefs of the
village and expanding dam would result in economic development without hurting religious
sentiments of people.
Implementation:
Government should establish a committee to identify the local leaders and attempt to
communicate with them in order to better manage the issue. This will give the impression that
we are valuing their views. They must forward the earlier settlement offer in an attempt to
convince them. If they accept the revised contract, it will be a wise choice for the economy. If
they don't, the prior strategy works fine.
Risk:
It's likely that regional leaders will become irritated or uncomfortable accepting the
committee's proposal. This will certainly have an impact on the power base of the local ruling
party.
Also, after accepting the offer from the local leaders, it's feasible that other individuals could
raise a problem during the construction of the dam or the relocation of the temple.
Additionally, this effort may cause the settlement contract's budget to increase.
Contingency Plan:
If the local community disapproves of the actions taken by the government, the ruling party
may have serious problems during the next election cycle. In such a scenario government can
go with the first alternative where the temple will not be shifted and dam's FSL will be kept
at 592 only instead of expanding it to 595.