The Anthropological Cost of Submerging Tripura's Rice Bowl and the Erosion of Indigenous Seed Sovereignty

This paper examines the "anthropological cost" of large-scale infrastructure projects in Northeast India and neighbouring regions, focusing on the submergence of the Raima-Surma Valley—historically known as the "Rice Bowl of Tripura"—by the 1974 Gumti Hydroelectric Power Project (1974-1984). The creation of the Dumboor reservoir displaced approximately 60,000 to 70,000 indigenous Tripuri and inundated 46 square kilometres of the state’s most fertile arable land. This developmental intervention triggered a transition from food sovereignty and surplus production to chronic food insecurity and reliance on government rations. The study highlights a critical "development disconnect," where minimal energy gains (8–10 MW) were traded for the permanent erasure of community-bred, climate-resilient rice landraces, such as Barkondo, Mymn, Maisaba and Khasa. By drawing parallels with the Umiam Hydroelectric Project (1960-1965) in Meghalaya and the Karnaphuli Hydro-electric Project (1957-1962) in Bangladesh, the research identifies a recurring pattern of "proletarianization" and ethnic instability stemming from the loss of ancestral agrarian backbones. We argue that the systemic neglect of native seed banks in favouring high-yielding varieties (HYV) constitutes a form of "neo-colonialism" that undermines long-term climate security and indigenous socio-ecological legacies