Abstract:
Poverty creates many social problems and it directly affects the development process of a
country. Road development is considered as one of the strategies of the development
process.
The aim of this study was to identify how the acquisition of lands, resettlement and road
development influenced the peoples economy. This research alsd intended to evaluate
the socio - economic status of the affected people. This study has compared the socioeconomic
conditions of affected people before and after the development project.
Functional method, survey method, and comparative method were used as research
methods of this study. Questionnaires, interviews and observations were the data
collecting techniques.
10,296 lands of 22 divisional secretariats have been used for the Southern Highway
project. 25 families residingat Prembrok estate, Rusiru Uyana and Dorsont estate Sathutu
Uyana of Dodamgoda divisional secretariat were taken as sample of this study.
Loss of land ownership has been badly affected on social economic status of people.
People who were in higher social economic positions before the road development
project were affected mostly by the road development project. Bribery and corruptions ,
that had been taken place at the time of payment of compensations, has deprived the
lawful owner of the land, their legitimate claims. Even the people who received their dues
properly were not able to utilized the compensations properly thereby aggravating their
poor economic state.
