HZL Initiatives in Managing Rehabilitation Under Development Project: A Case Study

The present article illustrates the efforts made by HZL in managing psycho-sociological consequences of displacement on people and subsequent rehabilitation of Rampura Augucha Village, displaced under one of its development projects. An attempt has been made to present the case with the help of the Rehabilitation Model suggested by the author (Singh, 1996). It critically examines achievements made and weaknesses and gaps in the implementation effort. HZL pursued the Project as a planned change effort, designed and implemented appropriate preparedness measures and managing strategies to a great extent. In spite of these sincere efforts, the project suffered from serious limitations such as lack of communication strategy for creating awareness among people about displacement, lack of advance detailed planning resulting in long negotiations period for compensation package, lack of clear-cut responsibilities for maintenance of services and lack of environmental impact assessment resulting in environmental pollution problems. The management of the process highlighted the need for having a national policy on rehabilitation to provide guidelines for its effective management.