Comparative Study of IKS in Traditional Villages and Relocations of Villages for Noida International Airport Under the RFCTLARR Act 2013

This research discusses the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) for the resettlement of villages. Village life is an IKS, and its knowledge is needed for relocations. This chapter compares the villages evacuated in the first phase of the Noida International Airport for ecological and cultural transformation. A Social and Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted before the land acquisition under the RFCTLARR Act 2013. Evacuees were resettled in a planned colony in Jewar, known as the R&R colony, approximately ten kilometers from their original location. Acquisition of agricultural land for urban development is widespread. Governments worldwide, aware of climate change, acknowledge the environment as a factor in land transactions; however, considerations have to be made in last-mile policies that affect people, land, culture, and ecology. Based on site surveys in the relocated villages, this paper fills the gap in understanding the lapse in relocation. It establishes that the compensation for damages is contingent upon a comprehensive reintegration of evacuees into the urban environment. However, it is addressed through economic compensation paid to the relevant departments for remedial action. During development, the acquired land is isolated from its ecology, damaging cultural connections. The paper highlights the lack of last-mile compensations for the loss of ecological balance during relocation and rehabilitation, and the disconnect in the transformed lives of the people in the new settlement. There is no progress possible without villages and the knowledge required to find appropriate attention in the dialogue of Viksit Bharat.