Presentation on

“Forced displacement in the Tehri dam project: whither

gender?”

Development projects often forced people to migrate from one place to another. In the process of
migration females’ experience is different from males’. Women experience displacement and
relocation in a particularly gendered way. Large development project in the state has created
conditions where women have been the greatest sufferers. Resettlement and rehabilitation
policies expose the male biases inherent in the government's insensitivity towards women's
needs. The argument of the topic is based on the empirical findings of research that looks at
women displaced by the construction of the Tehri dam in the Bhagirathi valley and relocated in
the new Tehri town and plains of Uttaranchal state of India.
Introduction:
Development is considered a crucial tool for modernization in third-world countries. These
countries mainly focus on the economic development process to increase their GDP and other
economic indexes. In post-independence India, the process of development was related to the
Nehruvian state-led model of development where the role of the state emerged as a primary
agent for advancing the agenda of development. Development categories included large dams,
irrigation projects, urban infrastructure, transportation etc which may be beneficial in a broad
development paradigm but these serve the interests of the narrow elite. According to Dwivedi,
displacement discourse falls into 2 categories. Reformist managerial and radical movements. The
managerial approach treats displacement as a consequence of past and future development and
tries to reduce the negative impacts of displacement. The radical movement position holds that
development results in unequal distribution of benefits, this inequality can not bring social and
economic justice for men and women. There were no detailed studies of a gender analysis of
forced displacement in India before the 1990s. The work of Mehta, Mehta and Srinivasan,
Srinivasan, Parsuram and Colson has advanced our understanding of gender and forced
displacement.

Reseach and methodology:

The specific aim of the research conducted in the New Tehri town and in the resettlement sites of
Pashulok and Athurwala was to assess the impact of displacement and resettlement on Women of
the region. A narrative-based approach in this research was adopted because the memorable
experiences of these women are meant to understand their experiences deeply.
Gender, development and displacement:
Gender is a powerful social and cultural construct determining the ways in which social relations
are structured between men and women. It also includes the institutionalization of masculine and
feminine values in the practices of organizations, institutions and the state. The differences in the
division of power, labour and property, based on perceived and ritualized gender differences,
result in women and men of the same class experiencing the environment in a different way.
Women and nature have always been connected historically. Both remain marginalized in the
economy and have been viewed as exploitable resources. Eco-feminists argue that women in
developing countries rely on nature to survive, so their method of survival is eliminated by the
destruction of the environment. India remains committed to many of the international
conventions to bring gender equality but there exists a gap between on-the-ground realities and
the government’s commitment.

Gender in the local context, Uttaranchal:

A major movement spearheaded by the hill people of Kumaon and Garwhal Mandals created the
state of Uttaranchal, formerly a part of Uttar Pradesh in 2000. At the heart of the Uttarakhand
movement lay the demand for a state, where women constituting half of the population and
forming the pillar of the hill economy would face fewer hardships, the landless would be
guaranteed land and employment and jobs forthcoming for youths. Geographically and culturally
this area is different and the majority of its population is dependent on the forest of this area.
Most of the men of Uttaranchal migrate to the plains in search of jobs and work there. So,
women form an integral part of the hill ecosystem and took part in several important movements.
This way they were able to exhibit great potential as leaders. They manage their homes, children,
the old, cattle, fuel, water – everything. They take part in protests and movements, yet they have
to do the household work. It’s double duty for women, but no one recognizes that.

Development and displacement in the local context:

The new state of Uttaranchal was largely formed as per the aspirations of the women to guide the
sustainable development of the region in a way that benefits everyone. Because of the nation’s
quest for modernity, the dam was conceived in 1949 and the planning commission granted
consent to build the dam in 1972. The multipurpose Tehri dam project is supposed to generate
1000 MW of power, irrigate 2.70 lakh ha in Western Uttar Pradesh, and provide 300 cusecs of
drinking water for Delhi and 200 cusecs for Uttar Pradesh. The dam affected Tehri town and 125
villages of which 37 were fully submerged and 87 partially submerged. Around 85,000 people
have been displaced due to the construction.
The process of resettlement:
Planned resettlement of populations need not always have anti-democratic and anti-development
outcomes. The majority of contemporary resettlement in the developing world is conducted by
states for economic and development reasons, and the decisions are taken to acquire land, locate
a project, or relocate populations are always highly political. The goal of resettlement is to re-
establish social relations, institutions, and value systems. Adaptive strategies are meant to reduce
the uncertainty of resources that impairs the functioning of their survival systems. The ethnic
people see this re-settlement process as an imperialist conquest. The process to fill the reservoir
have been ordered by the court on 29th July 2005. But, still, the rehabilitation of this project has
not been completed. More importantly, there is no participation of TDP-affected people in the
process of displacement. This change makes it very difficult for women to adapt to a new and
hostile environment. Women experienced marginalization in the process. While both men and
women experience disempowerment and dependence due to displacement in the Tehri project,
women experienced it more due to their roles in the domestic sphere and a demonetised
economy.

Lived experiences of Women during pre and post displacement process:

Women experience displacement in a qualitatively different way from men. Due to the
geographical conditions of the old Tehri, women were more independent in their work, they had
more freedom of movement and a secure feeling. They were dependent on their community and
the natural resources of the old place. They were habituated to the conditions of the soil, forest,
river and mountainous environment of that place. Most of their subsistence economy was non-
monetised. They were an integral part of agricultural practices that also included decision-
making and equal participation of men and women. Now, in the new Tehri, they feel both
marginalized and disempowered. Here, in this new place, they are considered outsiders. They
feel insecure about their domestic products and they have to depend on men more often than
before. They are facing scarcity of drinking water and also water for irrigation work. Even if they
get water, it is either polluted or has a bad smell. They can get access to water once in 3 days.
This experience has made them become depressed, stressed and lonely.

Gender bias in state resettlement policy:

Displacement compensation initially began in 1976 by the Department of Irrigation, Uttar
Pradesh. Later in 1990, a resettlement and rehabilitation policy was drafted that became effective
in 1995 with the formation of Tehri Hydroelectric Development Corporation. Under the policy,
two kinds of compensation were provided to the displaced population: land and cash. They were
offered either two acres of land within rural settlements or half an acre of land within the
periphery of urban municipal centres. In most cases, allotment of land and cash compensation
was made in the name of the male member of the family. Women claimed that the government
had treated them unequally. The gender bias in the resettlement package was evident. Women
became victims of corrupt government officials, intermediaries and profiteers. In spite of the
THDC website listing that, all rehabilitation benefits would be given and registered jointly in the
name of both husband and wife, in most cases, the money was not appropriately and equally
distributed. Even if the husband gets the money, the amount of it is too less to build a house in
the new region. The women who used to sell household things by the roadside or were hawkers
have been classified as landless and so were given no land in the new place.

Conclusion:
The Tehri dam project case study applied a cultural-based understanding of the dam
displacement process in Uttaranchal, India through the lens of women. Although the national
R&R policy acknowledges gender as a category in resettlement processes, the actual resettlement
and rehabilitation is a state issue. Women’s contributions to the village and the household
economy are ignored in state policy. The term rehabilitation does not end with compensation of
land and cash. This process includes a comprehensive treatment of the sociocultural, economic
and psychological needs of men and women that are lacking in the rehabilitation policy.