Property right is an institution in the overall structure of the society and economy. It is an important class of institutional arrangements and defines the use which are legitimately viewed as exclusive, and who have these exclusive rights over the resources. There are four basic categories of property rights, viz, (i) open access, (ii) common property resources, (iii) private property, and (iv) state property.

Access to resources comes under these types of rights. Access to resources is often contested at many levels simultaneously. Sometimes, there are attempts of people to secure rights to natural resources by having their access claims recognized as legitimate property. Struggle over resources are as much about the scope and constitution of authority as about access to resources.

Property is legitimized claims that the authority sanctions them. Access by contrast is broader and includes property. Various stakeholders gain and maintain access to resources in many ways that do not amount to property. Stakeholders may derive benefits from resources without holding property rights to them. There are many ways by which stake holders enjoy access to resources.

Just as many people struggle to turn access claims into legitimate property, many are stripped of property rights to their possession when the institutions that guaranteed them are weakened or take away that right.

The access and property rights of the poor people has been weakened  and stripped of, at a higher rate in the era of liberalization and privatization, particularly in the mineral rich states of Orissa, Jharkhand and Chhattishgargh in the Eastern India. The process of liberalization and privatization since 1991 open up to the private sector (including multinationals), core sector like power, steel and mines, etc which they were not allowed earlier. It was under the control of the state sector. In view of this, there is competition among the private sector actors including multinationals in the post-liberalization era to exploit the rich natural resources including minerals to install processing and semi-processing industries particularly in eastern India (viz., Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhatishgarh). This, in turn, leads to:

destruction of forest  (under which rich mineral resources are lying) and the eco-system on which a large number of people including tribal depend  for their livelihood through collection of non-timber forest produces.

Displacement of people from their home and land

Occupational displacement of people (fishers, primary collectors of NTFP, and others) who had access to water-bodies, forest and other CPRs for their livelihood.

These trends, in turn, leads to protest, sometimes violent, by affected people who are deprived of their property right over their land and of access to common property resources. The potential displaced persons, through their various organizations and associations are fighting for their rights and against the violation of human rights of marginalized sections like dalit, tribal, women, etc. One has to explore the impact of such  protest movement on the overall politics and economy of the region and  to analyse the  R & R Policies of the GoI and these three state

Thus, there are conflicts over the resources between different players and stakeholders.This happens in water-bodies like Chilika between fishers and non-fishers, in forested and mining areas of Jharkhand, Chhatishgarh and Orissa between forest dwellers including tribal and state over their access to minor forest produces,  rivers and streams , between tribal and non-tribal for land alineation of the former, between farmers and industrial interests over the use of water from dam (as conflict between the interest of farmers and industries over the use of dammed water in Hirakud dam), rivers ( as in Chattishgarh) and others. The common issue in three states is land displacement due to mining and industrial activities particularly mineral processing industries. In Orissa, the issue on water bodies and CPR is peculiar in case of shrimp farming.

Thus there are conflicts between different players over the use of natural resources like land, water and forest in Orissa, Jharkhand and Chhatishgarh. The intensity and numbers of conflicts in the post-liberalization era has increased in this part of India.