Congress cites irregularities in gram sabha approval for Ken-Betwa project

Congress President Umang Singhar. File | Photo credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

The project has also faced criticism for allegedly damaging the local ecology and wildlife as a large part falls within the Panna National Park and Tiger Reserve.

Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Umang Singhar, who visited the site of the ongoing protests in Chhatarpur on July 14, alleged corruption worth crores in the distribution of compensation and in the awarding of contracts to companies that he claimed had given donations to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party through electoral bonds. He also sought an independent investigation into the alleged irregularities.

“According to the villagers, around ₹11 million compensation was sanctioned for houses in Kharihani village. However, available documents indicate that around ₹8 million was paid to individuals who had no connection with the village or had already left it between 1980 and 1990,” Mr. Singhar told a press conference in Bhopal, adding that few people have received actual compensation so far.

“The protesters have identified more than 500 cases of alleged fraudulent compensation payments based on documentary evidence,” he said.

Residents of several villages, mostly tribals from Panna and Chhatarpur districts, protested on the banks of the Barana river near Kupi village for nearly two weeks against the ₹44,000 crore Union government project and various state irrigation projects, with several protesters tying nooses around their necks and lying on the river on a makeshift protest symbol.

The protest, under the slogan “Nyaya do varna maar do” (Give us justice or kill us), which was first held in April, was restarted earlier this month after talks and government efforts failed to assuage villagers’ fears.

Mr. Singhar, a prominent tribal leader, also alleged that in various villages the affected families were not involved in the gram sabha process.

“According to the affected villagers, the legal procedure for holding gram sabhas was not followed for the last four years. The affected families were neither informed about the social impact assessment (SIA) nor included in the process,” he said, adding that identical language was found in the management registers of several gram panchayats, raising suspicions that the meetings were recorded on the same days.

“Gram sabhas in tribal villages have been reduced to a mere paper formality,” he said, while claiming that the meeting in Kharihani village had the signature of a person who took charge as sarpanch (village head) six months after the meeting allegedly took place.

Under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), gram sabha approval is mandatory for development projects in tribal villages.

The Congress leader also accused the police of intimidating the protesters and demanding money from them after detaining them.

“There were several lathi charges in which even elderly women were injured. According to the affected people, criminal cases have been registered against more than 250 tribal villagers,” he said.

Mr. Singhar also alleged that the construction for the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) has started without completing the rehabilitation process.

“Construction work has started in early 2025 while many issues related to rehabilitation, compensation and entitlements are pending. There are allegations of forcible possession of six to seven villages in Panna Tiger Reserve. Construction work has started and houses of many affected families have been demolished,” he said.

Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 December 2024, the KBLP is the first of 30 such projects under the National Perspective Plan (NPP) to develop water resources and link “water surplus” rivers with “water deficit” ones. The project plans to transfer excess water from the Ken river basin to the Betwa river basin in the poverty-stricken Bundelkhand region, which covers parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

The project has also faced criticism for allegedly damaging the local ecology and wildlife as a large part falls within the Panna National Park and Tiger Reserve.

Published – 18 July 2026 04:00 IST