Pyres, Soil & Rights: The Ken-Betwa Row

After almost a two-week long standoff between tribal residents of Chhatarpur and Panna and the authorities, the protests over the Ken-Betwa river-linking project were temporarily called off on Friday as a fresh survey began over the alleged irregularities in compensation and rehabilitation in 14 affected villages.But this did not happen before a spate of protests and authorities claiming that the protestors were being misled. The protestors said they were compelled to protest for their issues as memorandums were being ignored up to that boiling point.Tribal women first kicked off the agitation on April 5 by lying on mock funeral pyres in ‘chitta andolan.' This was followed by tribal men smearing soil over their bodies in ‘mitti andolan' and then protestors entering water in ‘jal andolan.'"Our houses were snatched away and we didn't get adequate compensation for them. What should we do under these circumstances? If we get a hearing and justice, then you can build all the dams and canals and projects," said a woman protesting at the Ken river a few days ago. The demonstrators also tied symbolic nooses in their necks, chanting "Give us justice or death"As the ambitious project enters its final stages, the debate continues to rage on the faultlines of development projects, land and forest rights, ecological concerns and fears of tribal displacement. The state govt has time and again described Ken-Betwa as a game-changer for the Bundelkhand region that will provide ample drinking and irrigation water facilities to farmers. Environmentalists and critics have pointed to the finer print: how estimates suggest that the project will displace 6,600 families and mow down nearly 45 lakh trees.In 2017, the forest advisory committee under the forest ministry said in its recommendation that "ideally, this project should not be given clearance." So what exactly flows at the heart of this project that it has invited so many aspirations and objections from different quarters?What Does The Project Entail?The project aims to transfer the surplus water of the Ken River to Betwa River through the 221 km long link canal from Daudhan Dam on Ken River, providing irrigation and drinking water facilities in MP & UP. The claim that Ken has surplus water that can irrigate drought-prone districts has been contended by river researchers like Himanshu Thakkar, who filed a petition against the project in NGT in 2017.Rajendra Singh, the Waterman of India, told TOI, "Any big development project in the country begins with displacement and the underprivileged bear the brunt of it. For years now, we've been saying that the project will not be auspicious for Bundelkhand or India because there are several complexities and challenges in linking these two rivers that pose threats to the region's ecology. Small community steps like rainwater harvesting would've been better and less costlier but the massive project seems to be part of a conspiracy wherein only big companies will profit." Objections Over TimeA former secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources, Shashi Shekhar, had argued in 2025 that the region's hydrology does not justify a project of this scale. He had also criticised how the SC-appointed centrally-empowered committee's objections and ecological concerns had been ignored.A TOI report dated March 31, 2021 said that a week after the memorandum of agreement was signed between MP & UP, protestors and activists registered their silent protest during Covid to then CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan when he was visiting Panna Tiger Reserve. The protestors pointed to 23 lakh trees proposed to be cut in the region and submergence of parts of tiger habitat."A substantial portion of the biodiverse Panna Tiger Reserve is currently under the threat of submersion due to the river-linking project, which poses significant risk to the conservation efforts in the area," said the Centre's National Tiger Conservation Authority's "Status of Tigers-2022" report.A hefty amount has since been deposited for the compensation but experts argue that it is not enough to make up for the damage.Recent Wave Of ProtestsIn the recent spate of protests, displaced tribal villagers and farmers from Panna and Chhatarpur are protesting over alleged irregularities in compensation for their land and delays in rehabilitation. The stir saw the administration issuing prohibitory orders under BNS section 163 but protestors shifted demonstrations to the middle of the Ken River. The authorities have said the protesters are being misguided on the compensation package and those affected by other irrigation projects have also been gathered as protesters for this one.Authorities said those directly displaced by the Ken-Betwa project are eligible for a rehabilitation package of Rs 12.5 lakh per family, while those affected by separate state irrigation projects in the region are entitled to Rs 7.5 lakh.200 tribal protestors later breached the core area of PTR a few days ago, baffling the MP forest department amid the standoff between authorities and protestors. The Way AheadThe way ahead for the project lies in addressing concerns of displacement, rehabilitation and environmental harm while balancing it with the ambitious goals of the project. A clear and fair line of communication must be established with the affected and displaced or the project wouldn't be able to serve the citizens of the region as it claims to do.
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