Land Acquisition, Industrialization and Livelihoods: A Case Study on Jsw Bengal Steel Plant

This book provides an assessment of the impacts of human intervention on the natural environment and peoples’ livelihoods through land-use conversion due to industrialization. Problems of land acquisition and the execution thereof have varying consequences that depend on the specific geographical as well as socio-political contexts in which they occur. This book covers a specific study of JSW Bengal Steel Ltd., which in 2014 planned to set up a 10.0 million ton per year integrated steel plant at the upper catchment of Sundra basin, the tributary of the Shilabati that ultimately pours to the river Rupnarayan, located at Salboni Block of Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, India. The project was ultimately put on hold, but caused many lingering environmental and socioeconomic problems due to the acquisition of formerly productive lands. The book examines this case to generate a database on the different aspects of land acquisition and its negative impacts on the geomorphology and hydrological of non-timber forest products, agricultural impacts resulting in livelihood changes, policy dimensions of land acquisition, and the impacts of delays in project implementation through a comparative analysis between projects-affected areas and non-project areas. The book will appeal to environmental managers and industry workers, as well as students and researchers in environmental economics, anthropology, and human geography. Dr. Sumanta Prakash Shee is an assistant teacher of geography at Golar Sushila Vidyapith, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, India. He completed his doctoral degree at Vidyasagar University and he has 5 years of teaching experience at the higher secondary level in geography and 1 year at the undergraduate level. His teaching interests include Hydrology, Geomorphology, Climatology including Remote Sensing and GIS. He has published several research articles in renowned national and international journals. He is a life member of the Indian Institute of Geomorphologists and The Geographical Society of India. Dr. Ramkrishna Maiti is a Professor in the Department of Geography at Vidyasagar University, West Bengal, India. His significant contributions have been in the area of Geomorphology, Hydrology, Environmental Hazards and Geographical Philosophy. He leads several research projects funded by the UGC and ICSSR. He has over 90 publications to his credit in the national and international journals of repute. He authored several books like Semi-Quantitative Approach for Landslide Assessment and Prediction (Springer), Sedimentation in the Rupnarayan River (2 Volume)(Springer), Management Techniques of Rill-Gully Erosion in Badland Topography (LAMBERT Academic Press, Germany), Modern Approaches to Fluvial Geomorphology (Primus Books) and Development of Geographical Thought (Nabodaya Publishers). Chapter1. Introduction.- Chapter2. Study Area.- Chapter3. Industrial Projects.- Chapter4. Land Acquisition and Land use Change – A Mouza Level Study.- Chapter5. Hydrological Impact of Land Use Conversion.- Chapter6. Land Acquisition and Livelihood.- Chapter7. Uncertainity and Suffering.- Chapter8. Level of Development – A Comparative Study Between Project and Non-Project Area.- Chapter9. Environmental Impact Assessment.- Chapter10. Conclusion.