The Teesta on The Run is a contribution to the debate on the development and displacement that is linked to it. Most decision-makers view development only as economic or GDP growth and building infrastructure and consider displacement linked to it sad but inevitable. On the other side, those who want inclusive development hold that economic and social growth should go hand in hand and that one cannot be sacrificed for the other. The study on which this publication is based has examined the extent of land used for projects 1975-2010 and the number of displaced persons. It has also evaluated the impact on those who pay the price of development planning in India. One is left with the impression that the GDP growth based view prevails in development planning in India.
About the Author
Dr Walter Fernandes was a former faculty and director of Indian Social Institute, New Delhi and editor of Social Action (1977-99), founder-director of North Eastern Social RESEARCH Centre, Guwahati (2000-11), and director of research at Animation and Research Centre, Yangon (2013-15) is at present Senior Fellow at NESRC.
George Thadathil SDB is presently the Principal of Salesian College, Sonada-Siliguri, Darjeeling, affiliated to North Bengal University. He completed his doctorate from the School of Religion and Philosophy, University of Madras, making a study on Sri Narayana Guru Movement in Kerala. He was a Junior Fellow, Indian Council of Philosophical Research during the period 1998-2000 and is currently also the Head of the Department of Philosophy in the college where he works. He is also the president of the AIACHE and has won national and international recognition for his scholarship and academic innovation in Higher Education.
Mrs Bitopi Duttawas formerly a Research Associate at NESRC after her Masters from TISS Mumbai (2012). Her area of academic interest includes development induced displacement, traditional tribal conflict resolution methods and gender and sexuality. She has been associated with gender and queer activism and co-founded the first queer collective called Xukia.
