CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND NEGOTIATION SKILLS

CASE STUDY 3: RESENTMENT OF LOCAL VILLAGERS TO PRESERVE THEIR INTEREST AND GOVERNMENT’S DRIVE TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT OF THAT AREA BY OPENING AN ENGINEERING COLLEGE

Conflict
It is common to hear of conflicts arising out of rural population getting displaced for development projects. They often charge government of taking over their lands at prices considerably lower then the market price. Though sometimes it is also true that for any future projects Government acquires land and the project may take years to take off. Meanwhile landowners, in most cases the poor farmers, continue to use their sold land as before and being unable to utilize money properly end up in this intervening period getting dependent on the produce from this land which was sold to Government. When the project does start these poor villagers find it as a direct attack on their livelihood. This results into a conflict of interest and for survival as far as villagers are concerned.

Questions:

1.    Who was the main reason for this conflict? Government or the rural population? Explain in detail?

2. Was it possible to avoid this conflict? Give reasons to your answers?

3. In this case, explain the different levels of conflict (That is low level, optimum level, high level)?