Congress MLAs in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Thursday (Feb 26, 2026) alleged irregularities in land acquisition and compensation for a coal block allotted to the Adani Group in Singrauli district and demanded a joint House committee probe into the matter.
The demand raised by Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar led to intense discussions and arguments between the Finance Ministry and the Opposition benches, which further led to Congress MLAs staging a walkout from the House. However, the government denied the allegations and said the land acquisition was done in accordance with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act 2013, assuring that an investigation would be conducted in case of any irregularities.
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In September last year, Adani Group said it had received approval from the Union Coal Ministry to start mining operations at the Dhirauli mine, which is managed by Mahan Energen Ltd, a subsidiary of Adani Power. Covering several villages and a forest area in Singrauli district, the Dhirauli coal block is one of the largest in Madhya Pradesh, spread over nearly 27 square kilometers, and about 5.70 lakh trees are currently being felled in this area.
During Question Hour, Mr. Singhar said 12,998 families were affected in eight villages, many of them tribal-dominated, where land acquisitions and alleged massive irregularities in payment schedules were taking place.
Also read | Congress alleges FRA violation in Adani coal mine project in Madhya Pradesh
He alleged that several foreigners, including family members of police officers posted in the area, illegally received compensation of up to Rs 15 crore for land acquisition, claiming to have collected the data from the district collector’s office.
“People from outside came and built houses there and got compensation. Local tribals, local people, didn’t get compensation. You said there are many people whose money still hasn’t been deposited in their accounts. I want to tell you their names, but poor people are being kicked out. They are being told to demolish their houses with their own hands. Then they will be given compensation that only Mr. Shar is getting the local government. Rs 2.5 million for their land.
However, Revenue Minister Karan Singh Verma is to acquire a total of 2,672 hectares of land for the block, which includes over 554 hectares of private land in eight villages and 1,335 hectares of protected forest land.
He said land acquisition is almost complete in five of these villages and claimed that the tribal family will get at least ₹50,000 compensation from the government.
“We have taken care of all the displaced people and allocated ₹368 crore as compensation. We will resettle the displaced. We have also allotted them land. The company will provide Rs 3 crore and as demanded by the LoP, the tribal will get at least ₹50,440,000 as compensation,” Mr Verma said, later adding that more than ₹14 crore
However, Mr. Singhar refuted these claims and said that no tribal family gets more than 2-2.5 lakhs.
“An amount of around ₹368 crore, if distributed among 12,000 families, works out to ₹2,00,000, then how did the tribals get ₹50,00,000 (per family)?” he said while also questioning how the Adani Group was approved to operate the mine when the land acquisition was still going on. He demanded that mining be halted until the land acquisition is completed and the local residents are compensated and rehabilitated.
As Congress MLAs demanded an inquiry committee, Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Prahlad Patel said that while it was up to the Speaker of the House to set up the panel, the government would investigate the allegations and submit a list of those who received compensation.
When Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar ordered to move on to the next issue, the scenes turned chaotic as Congress MLAs demanded the panel. Various MLAs also entered the well and resorted to sloganeering, leading to several brief interruptions.
Even as Congress MLAs alleged that the government was “dodging” the inquiry, Mr Patel said the government was ready for such an inquiry.
After several adjournments and intense agitation, Congress MLAs staged a walkout from the House.
Published – 27 Feb 2026 02:20 IST
