From protests to approval: MP launches controversial Indore-Ujjain corridor after land row

Farmer groups had repeatedly objected to acquisition terms, compensation rates and aspects of the proposed design, arguing that agricultural land along the corridor had appreciated considerably due to its proximity to Indore and emerging industrial and logistics zones.

The corridor is being developed by the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC) as a controlled-access greenfield route connecting the Indore region with Ujjain through Sanwer and Fatehabad. Officials say the project is intended to provide a “faster alternative to the existing Indore-Ujjain highway, reduce travel time between the two cities and improve access to the Mahakaleshwar temple city before the 2028 Simhastha congregation”.

The road is also being positioned as part of a broader economic corridor linking industrial areas around Pithampur and Indore with western Madhya Pradesh and transport networks connected to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.

While Friday’s ceremony focused on the project’s expected benefits, the road’s progress has been shaped by months of resistance from farmers in villages located along the alignment. In October last year, farmers from Indore and Ujjain districts organised tractor rallies and demonstrations, alleging that compensation offered for acquired land did not reflect prevailing market rates. Several farmer organisations sought revision of compensation calculations and raised concerns about the impact of elevated sections on access to agricultural fields.

Government officials subsequently held a series of consultations with affected landowners. According to the state government, “modifications were made to the design after these discussions”. Speaking at the launch event, Yadav said the road’s “height had been reduced” in response to farmers’ demands so that movement across adjoining agricultural land would not be disrupted.

The government has claimed the project is expected to benefit 20 villages in Indore district, eight villages in Ujjain district, and 40–50 surrounding village

The corridor is being built through one of Madhya Pradesh’s fastest-changing economic belts, where farmland around Indore, Sanwer and Fatehabad has increasingly come under pressure from industrial expansion, warehousing projects and real-estate development. That has made land acquisition both more expensive and more politically sensitive, with many farmers arguing that compensation failed to keep pace with market values.

For the state government, however, the project is central to a larger plan of linking Indore’s industrial economy with Ujjain’s growing role as a religious and tourism hub. Officials have increasingly spoken of an Indore-Ujjain metropolitan region that would extend across parts of Dewas, Dhar, Ratlam and Shajapur districts, creating a single economic zone anchored by road, rail and airport connectivity.

The significance of the corridor lies as much in freight movement as in passenger traffic. The route is expected to strengthen links between Pithampur’s manufacturing cluster, logistics facilities around Indore and markets across western Madhya Pradesh. Pithampur is home to hundreds of automobile, engineering and pharmaceutical units that depend heavily on road transport for movement of raw materials and finished goods. Industry representatives say faster connectivity to major highways and the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway network could lower transport costs, shorten delivery timelines and improve access to distribution centres.

The road is also expected to alter development patterns along the Indore-Ujjain axis. Previous highway projects in the region have attracted industrial parks, townships, warehouses and commercial activity along their corridors, pushing up land prices and changing the economic profile of surrounding villages. With Simhastha 2028 approaching and Ujjain receiving increasing public investment, planners expect the new corridor to become one of the principal growth routes in western Madhya Pradesh over the coming decade.