Amid Ken-Betwa uproar, Madhya Pradesh government promises inquiry

“If you are aware of any discrepancy or complaint, we will certainly investigate it and do justice to them. No one should suffer under our government,” Yadav said. When Singhar sought a timeline, citing ongoing construction and police action against protesters, the Chief Minister replied that the matter would be resolved “within a month”.

The debate centred on rehabilitation under the Ken-Betwa Link Project, India’s first inter-basin river-linking project, which proposes to transfer water from the Ken River in Madhya Pradesh to the Betwa River flowing into Uttar Pradesh. The project is expected to irrigate over nine lakh hectares, supply drinking water across Bundelkhand and generate hydropower, but it also requires the acquisition of land and displacement of thousands of families in Panna and Chhatarpur districts.

According to the government’s written reply, 1,321 families across seven villages in Panna district have been displaced, while 3,718 families in 14 villages of Chhatarpur district have been affected by land acquisition or submergence. The government stated that all affected families had been sanctioned compensation and rehabilitation benefits.

However, it also acknowledged that complaints had been received regarding omissions from rehabilitation lists and compensation disputes. In Chhatarpur, the government said village-wise survey teams were constituted through an office order issued on April 15, 2026. Following the resurvey, 638 additional eligible families were found and sanctioned rehabilitation benefits, taking the total number of beneficiaries from 3,080 to 3,718 families.

In Panna, the government said a fresh survey was also conducted after complaints regarding omitted beneficiaries and compensation assessment, but maintained that no eligible person had ultimately been left out and no irregularities were found.

Singhar questioned these claims, asking the government to table the survey reports and Gram Sabha proceedings before the Assembly.

“The government says everyone has received compensation, yet you yourself are saying some families are still pending. Will you table the survey report? Will you table the Gram Sabha proceedings?” he asked.

Verma agreed to place the records before the House as directed by the Chair.

The Revenue Minister said that in Panna, rehabilitation packages had been sanctioned for all 1,321 displaced families, with compensation of about Rs 165.12 crore approved. He said Rs 164.87 crore had already been disbursed, with Rs 25 lakh remaining to be paid to two families.

He also outlined the rehabilitation package, saying eligible families receive a Rs 12.5 lakh special rehabilitation grant in addition to compensation under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. Compensation is also paid separately for houses, wells, trees and other immovable assets.

‘Serious irregularities’

Singhar, however, alleged that serious irregularities persisted despite the government’s claims. He alleged that in Khariyani village, compensation worth Rs 8 crore had been distributed to people who were allegedly not entitled to receive it and questioned the validity of certain Gram Sabha proceedings.

“There are villages where there was no sarpanch at the time of the Gram Sabha. Then who conducted the Gram Sabha? Who put the thumb impressions?” he asked, demanding either a judicial probe or a joint legislative committee.

The Opposition leader also questioned how construction had advanced when rehabilitation remained incomplete, citing conditions attached to the project’s environmental clearance that require rehabilitation and resettlement to be completed before commissioning of the project.

“This is a Rs 44,000-crore project, not a small one. How were 638 families left out of the survey? There are still poor women struggling to build houses. There are so many discrepancies,” he said.

Rejecting allegations of any scam, Verma said only a handful of complicated cases remained, mostly relating to documentation or banking formalities, and reiterated that the government would examine any specific complaint brought to its notice.

Protests

The rehabilitation process has been at the centre of protests in the project area for months. Villagers in Daudhan, Palkhua, Sukwaha and other affected villages have repeatedly alleged that eligible family members were left out of surveys, compensation assessments were incorrect and rehabilitation benefits were unevenly distributed. Earlier this month, protests near the Daudhan Dam site turned violent after demonstrators attempted to stop construction activity. Police used force to disperse the crowd, and several people, including police personnel, were injured. The administration has maintained that the protests were fuelled by misinformation and that most rehabilitation benefits have already been disbursed.

The Ken-Betwa Link Project, approved by the Union Cabinet in 2021, is the country’s first river-linking project under the National Perspective Plan. It involves construction of the Daudhan Dam across the Ken River, a 221-km link canal and associated barrages and irrigation works. The project aims to irrigate drought-prone districts in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh while generating hydropower and supplying drinking water, but it also entails the submergence of villages and diversion of forest land, making rehabilitation and environmental compliance among its most closely watched components.