The ‘Voice’ of the Public during Social Impact Assessment (SIA): A Case Study of Teesta IV hydroelectric project in India

Abstract

The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement 2013 Act (RFCTLARR Act) ensures that the ‘public’ is an integral part of the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) process. The law now mandates thattheir opinions would be considered in the report through a public hearing of the affected families. However, the inclusion of the affected people is often questioned in developmental projects such as hydropower projects, especially in hilly areas where the local people whose land is acquired are completely dependent upon it for their livelihood. Their resistance is also depicted through collective social action as aresult of their former experiences with the outcomes of public projects, due to which the public and private companies conducting the SIA studytend to neglect their views. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of public and its inclusion in the SIA process in India, using a case study methodology focusing on the SIA report of Teesta-IV hydroelectricproject submitted in 2018. Following a secondary data based approach, this study will argue that the local tribal communities do not equate the construction of dams with the concept of sustainable development. However, this does not cease the construction of those projects, thereby, questioning the notion of inclusionofthe local people. It is,therefore,recommended that the agencies involved in conducting the process of SIA must take into consideration the conflicting views of the affected families and train theirconsultants to be responsible legally and ethically for project approvals, thereby fostering accountability in the process of development.