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7 - Singrauli: A Development Dilemma

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 October 2020

Shashi Ratnaker Singh
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

This chapter provides an overview of the impact of resource development on the regional economy of Singrauli and how it has become a ‘space of dependence’ (Cox, 1984), serving ‘national interest’ since 1960. Singrauli, popularly known as the ‘energy capital of India’, hosts more than 10 per cent of the total installed thermal power capacity of India, presently providing thermal power to 16 states and union territories, and is a geographically isolated and socio-economically backward region of Madhya Pradesh (MP) (NITI Aayog, 2019). In 2008, the space of Singrauli was carved out of Sidhi district and declared to be an independent district. It continues to be considered South Asia's biggest industrial area. Literature suggests that ever since 1840, when coal was discovered in Singrauli, the area's development has revolved around exploiting this mineral resource. The Singrauli region hosts some of the oldest thermal power stations and operational coal mines in India, set up by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL).

From 1960 to 2010, Singrauli has suffered from a spiral of development-induced displacement and systematic acquisition of agricultural and forest land, first for the Rihand Dam and the Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar (GBPS) reservoir in the 1960s and subsequently for opencast coal mines and coal-fired power plants in the 1980s. The recent phase of land acquisition started in 2008 after the formation of the district, primarily by private sector corporations. The Singrauli region has a long story of displacement and deprivation, of neglect and underdevelopment. Loss of livelihood and displacement has become a recurring feature for the people of Singrauli due to dams, thermal power and coal mining projects (Sharma and Singh, 2009). During 2006–2016, the state government of MP received a large number of proposals by private companies to establish resource-based industries in Singrauli. In fact, it is the only district in the region that has received more than ₹1,000 billion in private investment, despite the large-scale dissatisfaction with the land acquisition laws. Communities are again in the process of being displaced with private players setting up four coal mining projects and five super thermal power projects in the area.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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