Ken-Betwa Project: Tribal Protests Over Displacement and Compensation Grievances
In July 2024, Madhya Pradesh police cleared a protest site along the Barana river in Chhatarpur district, where hundreds of tribal villagers had been demonstrating for two weeks against the Ken-Betwa Link Project—India's first river-linking initiative—and two state irrigation projects. Local activist Amit Bhatnagar, founder of the Jai Kisan Sangathan, who was on an indefinite hunger strike, was admitted to a hospital. Nearly 150 protesters were transported to their villages. Bhatnagar suspended his 18-day fast on July 23 after the government assured that those left out of the rehabilitation process would be included.
The Ken-Betwa River Linking Project is the first of 30 proposed river-linking projects under the National Perspective Plan (NPP), formulated in 1980. It aims to transfer water from the Ken River to the Betwa River by constructing the Daudhan Dam and a 221-km canal, generating 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar power. The project is expected to provide drinking water to about 4.4 million people in Madhya Pradesh and over 2 million in Uttar Pradesh, addressing water scarcity in the drought-prone Bundelkhand region.
According to the Union government, 7,193 families from 14 villages in Chhatarpur and eight in Panna district face displacement. Protesters demand that each adult be treated as an individual beneficiary for the ₹12.5 lakh rehabilitation package, and that the eligibility cut-off date be revised from February 16, 2024, to the present. They also oppose the state's Majhgaon and Runjh irrigation projects, seeking compensation on par with the Ken-Betwa package. Allegations include irregularities in surveys, inclusion of ineligible beneficiaries, and flawed gram sabha consent processes. Bhatnagar claimed a ₹400-crore corruption scheme involving fake beneficiaries.
The state government has approved an additional ₹300 crore for the Majhgaon and Runjh projects, raising compensation to ₹12.5 lakh per eligible beneficiary. Chhatarpur Collector Parth Jaiswal stated that the rehabilitation process follows legal norms. The protests highlight ongoing tensions between developmental goals and the rights of indigenous communities.
