Hunger stir against Ken-Betwa Link Project enters 15th day
Protests against the Ken-Betwa Link Project highlight unresolved rehabilitation and displacement concerns in Madhya Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region.
- The demonstration is being held on the banks of the Barana river near Kupi village.
- Protesters say rehabilitation has been inadequate and displacement-related grievances remain unresolved.
- The agitation has included jal satyagraha, chita satyagraha, and faansi satyagraha.
What happened
An indefinite hunger strike against the Ken-Betwa Link Project and other irrigation schemes in Madhya Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region has entered its 15th day. The protest is being held on the banks of the Barana river near Kupi village.
The protesters, mainly tribal women, say rehabilitation has been inadequate and that displacement-related grievances remain unresolved. The same protest has also used symbolic forms of protest such as jal satyagraha, chita satyagraha, and faansi satyagraha.
UPSC can frame the Ken-Betwa Link Project around water-resource development, inter-basin transfer, rehabilitation and resettlement, and the social costs of large irrigation schemes in drought-prone regions. The protest also helps in analysing how state-led infrastructure projects intersect with tribal rights and local consent.
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