A 27-day protest against the Ken-Betwa Link Project ended in Panna on Saturday after Madhya Pradesh Congress Legislature Party leader Umang Singhar assured activist Amit Bhatnagar and project-affected families of his party’s support over compensation, rehabilitation and alleged violations of the Forest Rights Act.
Bhatnagar ended his protest after Singhar visited him and requested him to accept coconut water. The wider protest by tribal farmers and villagers affected by the project has continued for 42 days, with the protesters demanding compensation, proper rehabilitation and action on other grievances.
The affected people have raised concerns about displacement, alleged irregularities in compensation and families being left out of the payment process. They have also alleged violations of provisions under the Forest Rights Act in connection with the project.
Singhar joined a ‘Save the Constitution, Save Democracy’ march organised by the project-affected people. The protesters submitted a memorandum at the Panna Collectorate, where Singhar said the Congress would support their demand for rights, justice, dignity and fair compensation.
“The BJP government, which considers tribals, Dalits and farmers as orphans, should remember that the Congress is still alive,” Singhar said. He added that his party would continue to raise the affected families’ concerns “from the streets to Parliament” and said no family should face injustice in the name of development.
Singhar said he had raised the protesters’ demands in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly after visiting them on July 14. According to him, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had directed a resurvey of affected families and an investigation into the status of compensation. Singhar alleged that no concrete action had followed and sought details on the resurvey, including how many families had been compensated and how many were still awaiting payment.
The Ken-Betwa Link Project is a major inter-basin water transfer project involving the linking of the Ken and Betwa rivers. The dispute reported from Panna centres on how families affected by the project are identified, compensated and rehabilitated while implementation proceeds.
Singhar also visited Panna District Jail, where he met protester Divya Ahirwar, who has been in custody for 28 days. He described the cases against the protesters as “fake” and called for Ahirwar’s immediate release. These allegations were made by Singhar and were not independently established in the report.
The Congress leader said the party would continue to support tribal farmers, villagers and displaced families until they received what he described as justice, adequate compensation and dignified rehabilitation. The Madhya Pradesh government’s response to the reported resurvey and compensation review remains the next point of focus.
