The woes of relocation

It is the same story, be it the Narmada dam or the Orissa steel plant. Land is usurped from tribals and villagers who rely on the natural resources for their sustenance. Meagre compensation is given, and sometimes promises are made for employment in the factories, but rarely do these things follow through. People are displaced from their land, alieneated from their communities, and hardly given anything in return to start their lives all over again. And if protests are made, then police brutalities bring up shocking pictures of human rights abuse. There is clearly no one single way out. The government, judiciary, NGOs, and the people, have all got to work together to make sure that promises are carried through and the people get what they rightly deserve.