Bhopal: Police in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday brought an end to a 15-day-long tribal protest against the Ken-Betwa River Link Project in Chhatarpur district, clearing the protest site in a pre-dawn operation and shifting protest leader Amit Bhatnagar to a hospital after his 14-day hunger strike. Officials said the action was taken because of rising water levels in the Barana River following heavy rainfall and concerns over the safety of protesters.
According to the district administration, hundreds of protesters camping near the riverbank were removed from the site and transported back to their villages. Officials said no criminal cases were registered against those removed and described the operation as a preventive measure to avoid any untoward incident. Amit Bhatnagar was taken for a medical examination after being detained due to his deteriorating health following two weeks of fasting.
The agitation was led by tribal communities and project-affected families opposing the ₹44,605-crore Ken-Betwa Link Project, India’s first river interlinking project. Protesters allege serious irregularities in land acquisition, rehabilitation and compensation, claiming that many displaced families have either received inadequate compensation or have been left out of the rehabilitation process. They have also demanded greater transparency in the implementation of the project. These allegations have not been accepted by the authorities.
The Ken-Betwa Link Project proposes transferring water from the Ken River to the Betwa basin through the construction of the Daudhan Dam and an extensive canal network. The Centre and the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh say the project will provide irrigation to drought-prone Bundelkhand, improve drinking water supply and generate hydropower. However, environmental groups and tribal organisations argue that the project could displace thousands of people and affect forests, wildlife habitats and the Panna Tiger Reserve.
The protest had attracted nationwide attention because of the demonstrators’ symbolic ‘Chita Andolan’, in which tribal men and women lay on mock funeral pyres to protest the loss of their land and livelihoods. Sunday’s police action has once again intensified the debate over balancing large infrastructure projects with environmental protection and the rights of indigenous communities.
