This article is a publication by the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) which talks about the benefits of infrastructure projects to be shared equitably. As seen in post-war Sri Lanka, a number of large scale infrastructure projects have commenced - from the building of the Southern Highway to the newly built Colombo-Katunayake expressway. There is evidence that such projects are beneficial to a limited class of people while creating inequality and impoverishing others, especially those who have been affected by the acquisition of their land. Sharing the benefits of an infrastructure project involves monetary compensation, non-monetary compensation and benefits in kind. Sri Lanka should implement processes that would help those who find it harder to cope with land acquisition, such as the elderly, female-headed households and households with special needs so as their livelihoods are not diminished as a result of the land acquired for such infrastructure projects. It is important that policies such as the ones adopted during the resettlement of the Southern Expressway project are carried forward in future too.
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