Activist Ends Hunger Strike Over Ken-Betwa Project Displacement Issues After Administration Agrees to Inquiry

Activist Amit Bhatnagar has ended his 18-day fast over displacement issues resulting from the Ken-Betwa river linking project and other irrigation schemes in Madhya Pradesh.

Their mother persuaded him to end his fast after he reached his hometown Bijawar in Chhatarpur district, following his discharge from the hospital, Bhatnagar's brother Ankit told PTI.

"He was not keeping well. Our mother made him break the fast after he reached home," Ankit said.

Chhatarpur Collector Parth Jaiswal said that Bhatnagar was shifted to his hometown on Thursday after his health improved. He had been admitted first to Bijawar Civil Hospital and later to the ICU of the district hospital after the police removed him from the protest site.

The Chhatarpur police broke up the protest at Kupi village on July 19, citing rising water levels in the Barana river during the monsoon. Bhatnagar had then told PTI that his fast would continue.

The protest began on July 3 beneath an under-construction bridge over the Barana river. Protesters demanded an inquiry into alleged irregularities in rehabilitation and payment of compensation to those displaced by the Ken-Betwa Link Project and other irrigation schemes, besides seeking statutory rights for affected families.

They alleged large-scale corruption in the implementation of rehabilitation packages and sought an impartial probe to ensure justice for families yet to receive benefits.

Bhatnagar had claimed that on the day the administration cleared the protest site, he was preparing to present documents to the media alleging irregularities worth Rs 400 crore.

Before Bhatnagar ended his fast with coconut water, local organisation Jai Kisan Sangathan, which participated in the agitation, alleged in a statement that his family, journalists, social activists and fellow protesters were not allowed to meet him during his hospitalisation.

It also claimed that women in several villages had launched a "chulha bandh" (no-cooking) protest in support of the agitation.

The organisation quoted Bhatnagar as saying that his agitation was not directed against any individual, political party or government but sought to protect the constitutional, environmental and legal rights of tribal communities and project-affected families.

He also described the administration's decision to undertake a fresh survey and constitute a joint inquiry team as a positive step, saying it would be a significant outcome of the agitation if implemented fairly and transparently.

Collector Jaiswal said most of the complaints raised by the protesters related to villages in neighbouring Panna district, while the protest was staged in Chhatarpur.

"If there is any complaint relating to Chhatarpur district, it should be submitted to us. It will be duly examined and necessary action will be taken. If they have a list of affected persons, they can also provide it to the administration," he said.

The Rs 44,605-crore Ken-Betwa Link Project is the country's first river-linking project under the National Perspective Plan. It aims to irrigate 1.062 million hectares of land, provide drinking water to about 6.2 million people and generate hydropower in the drought-prone Bundelkhand region spanning Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.