In the whole debate of ecological suitability of Tehri Dam, the rehabilitation aspect has been found ignored. Keeping in view of the significance of complete rehabilitation and resettlement of the oustees, the overall rehabilitation process including rural and urban population is analysed in the present paper. In total, 125 villages will be fully or partially submerged affecting more than one lakh population. More than twenty thousand urban populations will also be rehabilitated. It is expected that around 6000 cores of rupees (at 1993 price level) will be spent. Out of which 13% will be spent on the rehabilitation of the oustees. On the basis of the available information, it is found that only 33% of the rural families and 66% of the urban households have actually received the compensation or taken the possession of the land in the new sites. Non availability of land to the rest of the oustee households has been identified as the peculiar dimension of the rehabilitation process. The resettled households in Dehradun and Haridwar districts are facing the problem of geographic continuity, land owner shiprights and absence of institutional mechanism like panchayati raj institutions in the new settlements. The absence of non-farm employment and non-accessibility to the common property resources are the critical problems, including the availability of drinking water, irrigation, primary health and education, which can be observed seen in the rehabilitation sites. The resettlers are unable to adjust with the new environment including a high level of dependency on the market forces for each and every requirement. The partially submerged population is also facing peculiar problems. They will only be given cash compensation without any other compensatory measures. The ‘upstream cost and down stream benefits syndrome’ is strikingly visible in the rehabilitation process. In the urban resettlement process various issues Iike-the validity of survey, classification of urban households and cut off dates are relevant to mention. The positive externalities of the old Tehri town were completely missing in the new urban rehabilitation site. As a whole it can be tentatively said that the process of rehabilitation has been loosely coordinated and badly implemented. The issues of upstream cost, accessibility to common property resources and customary rights are the neglected aspects in the process. The re-organisation of the institutional frame work and granting land ownership rights to the resettlers and quality of the basic amenities are the other inevitable requirements need proper assessment and implementation. The present process of rehabilitation is largely non-participatory and non transparent, which can only be solved through radical measures. These measures are unlikely to be initiated in the present set of Tehri dam administration.
Role of Institutions and Organizations for the Sustainable Management of Forest and Pasture as Common Property Resources in Nepal: An Overview of the Indigenous and Traditional Practices
