Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh) [India], July 12 : Tribal families affected by the Ken-Betwa river-linking project in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district have been staging a 'Chita Andolan' (funeral pyre protest) for nine consecutive days, alleging that they are being displaced from their land without any compensation.
The protesters, who have gathered under the Barana River bridge, accused the local administration of ignoring their grievances. They claimed that their previous agitations were suppressed through "false assurances" from authorities.
"Many families are being displaced without compensation. No one in the administration is willing to listen to us. That's why we've been protesting under this Barana bridge for nine days now," a protester stated.
The families expressed deep distrust toward the administration, citing past experiences where they were allegedly misled into ending their protests.
"Last time, we went to the Betwa Canal and protested at the dam. But the administration suspended our protest by giving us false assurances. But we are not going to back down or be intimidated by false assurances," the protester added.
Issuing a dire warning to the authorities, the tribal families stated that they are prepared to take extreme steps if their demands for proper compensation and rehabilitation are not met.
"We want to tell the administration that if our demands aren't met this time, we will hang ourselves under this bridge, but we won't back down," the protester further warned.
The Ken-Betwa Link National Project is a major irrigation project in the country adopting an underground pressurised pipe irrigation system.
This project is being constructed on the Ken River in the Chhatarpur and Panna districts of Madhya Pradesh. Under the project, a 77-meter-high and 2.13-kilometre-long Daudhan Dam and 2 tunnels (upper level 1.9 km and lower level 1.1 km) will be constructed on Ken River in Panna Tiger Reserve, and 2,853 million cubic meters of water will be stored in the dam. The surplus water of the Ken River will be transferred to the Betwa River through the 221 km long link canal from Daudhan Dam on the Ken River, providing irrigation and drinking water facilities in both states, stated the release.
Through a pressurised micro-irrigation system from the project, 8.11 lakh hectares of area can be irrigated in 2 thousand villages of 10 districts, including Panna, Damoh, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Niwari, Sagar, Raisen, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Datia. About 7 lakh farmer families will benefit from the project, it added.
As per the government, the project will provide drinking water to 44 lakh people of Madhya Pradesh and 21 lakh people of Uttar Pradesh. Besides, the project will generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar energy. Madhya Pradesh will get its full benefit.
The project also includes the work of saving the historical Chandela-era heritage ponds. By repairing/renovating 42 ponds of the Chandel era in Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh and Niwari districts of Madhya Pradesh, water can be stored during the rainy season, which will benefit the rural areas and increase the groundwater level.
The construction of the project will bring prosperity and happiness in the lives of farmers, along with increased crop production through advanced irrigation technology. Besides, the water crisis prevalent in the Bundelkhand region will end, and migration for employment will also be curbed, the release added.