‘No assurances met’: Protest against Ken-Betwa Project resumes in Chhatarpur

Bhopal: Tribal women on Friday resumed their protest against the Ken-Betwa Link Project and other development projects in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district, alleging displacement, forced evictions and failure of the administration to fulfil assurances made earlier.The sit-in, called the ‘Chita Andolan’ (Pyre Protest), is being held on the banks of the Barana river near Kupi village, which is affected by the Ken-Betwa Link Project. Protesters raised the slogan, “Nyay do ya maar do” (Give us justice or kill us).The agitation had been suspended in April after talks with the administration but resumed after protesters alleged that none of the assurances given at the time were implemented.Protest leader Amit Bhatnagar alleged that people affected by the Ken-Betwa Link Project, the Majhgay Medium Irrigation Project, the Runj and Naiguwa irrigation projects, and the NTPC project had been denied justice.He claimed that nearly 50,000 people had been displaced due to the administration’s “corrupt and authoritarian” approach, alleging that affected families had lost their land, forests, water resources, livelihoods and cultural identity.

Other protesters alleged that instead of implementing the promised measures, authorities registered false criminal cases against demonstrators, carried out illegal evictions, disconnected electricity supply and demolished schools.Leading the agitation, tribal women said they would no longer accept what they described as false assurances from the government. They warned that if the government could not deliver justice, it should grant them permission for euthanasia.Responding to the allegations, Chhatarpur Collector Parth Jaiswal said the demands raised during the previous round of protests had already been addressed.“Some people from Panna are on protest. We are looking into it,” he said.The protest is being jointly led by people affected by multiple projects in Chhatarpur and Panna districts, while the administration said it is monitoring the situation.According to officials, 3,080 families from 14 villages affected by the Ken-Betwa Link Project have been sanctioned rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) compensation.Following villagers’ demand for a fresh survey, the district administration conducted a reassessment of all 14 affected villages and identified 638 additional families as eligible for rehabilitation benefits.“Following the demand from villagers for a re-survey, we constituted a team to conduct a fresh assessment in all the affected villages. Based on the survey, 638 additional families were found eligible for the rehabilitation package, and the compensation amount for all of them has now been approved,” Jaiswal said.