Rehabilitation of human settlements is one of the important environmental impacts which always attracts controversy while planning major projects. Discuss the measures suggest for mitigation of this impact while proposing major development projects.

           Major projects require large resources especially land. Project Displaced Persons (PDP) ha come to be recognized as a category of Internally Displaced Persons by the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

               Major developmental projects have been criticized for their disruptive effect. Activists have criticized the nature of development and questioned who the real beneficiaries of such mammoth projects. Since most projects are located in forest areas and mineral rich interiors they have impacted tribals and forest dwellers disproportionately. Such projects have caused displacement of 40% of tribals though they constitute only 8% of the total Indian population.

                The Sardar Sarovar project is estimated to have displaced 1 million people. Local Organizations organized themselves under the banner of Narmada Bacho Aandolan and sought proper rehabilitation. They later demanded the halt of the project considering its environmental impact. World Bank withdrew from the project citing environmental impact and displacement of tribal people. Eventually the project was commissioned 56 years after India's first Prime Minister J.L. Nehru laid its foundation stone.

               The effective and proper rehabilitation and resettlement of PDP can mitigate the impact of such development projects. The implementation of the progressive Land Acquisition Resettlement and Rehabilitation Act, 2013 in letter and spirit can make a huge difference. The Act replaced the archaic colonial Land Acquisition Act of 1884 which caused lot of resentment. It provides for various measures to assess and mitigate the impacts of the projects. Measures suggested include, 

I) Social Impact Assessment to be carried out religiously to understand the impact of major projects.

II) Empowering the gram sabhas to take the final call so as to realize the will of the people.

III) Adequate rehabilitation and resettlement should be provided to PDP.

IV) Alternate livelihood opportunities by skill training as well as employment should be arranged for. Disruption of traditional vocations have often condemned the PDP to poverty and made them daily wage workers.

V) Setting up a mechanism for integrated holistic development taking into consideration the concerns of the PDPs. 

         Government should avoid a growth-at-any-cost attitude and look at the real impact the project would have on empowering the common man. The talisman given by the Father of nation Gandhi can be a better guiding star for inclusive development.