Displaced villagers affected by the ‘Ken-Betwa’, ‘Majhgawan’, and ‘Runjh’ river interlinking projects stage a symbolic ‘Chita Andolan’ protest on funeral pyres to demand compensation and rehabilitation following home submersions, in Panna, Madhya Pradesh, on September 24. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
The agitation by people affected by the Majhgawan dam project in Madhya Pradesh‘s Panna district entered its 16th day on Sunday (September 27, 2026), as the protesters staged a ‘satyagraha’ despite rain and waterlogging.
Several houses in villages affected by the project have been inundated, with two to three feet of water entering some homes and damaging grain, clothes, and household articles, the protesters claimed.
However, officials said the Panna district administration has been conducting fresh surveys and distributing compensation to affected families.
The protest, held in the catchment area of the Majhgawan dam at Bankahrikala, located 55 km from the district headquarters, is led by Amit Bhatnagar of Jai Kisan Sangathan, a pro-farmer organisation, over alleged delays in compensation and rehabilitation benefits for affected families.
The agitators claimed that waterlogging has affected several villages, including Mandalia, Tapariya, and Kunwarpur.
The protesters said they had been demonstrating through different forms, including “chita” (funeral pyre demonstration) and “jal satyagraha” (protest by standing in water), for the past 15 days.
Several women and other protesters had fallen ill after staying in water and rain for several days, with some suffering from wounds on their feet and skin-related problems, they claimed.
The farmer organisation claimed that more than eight years had passed since the notification under Section 11 of the Land Acquisition Act process was issued, but several eligible families were still awaiting compensation.
According to the protesters, some families had received only up to ₹5 lakh against a declared package of ₹12.5 lakh, while compensation for houses, wells, trees, and other assets was also pending.
Mr. Bhatnagar said the organisation was not opposed to development, but would not accept the alleged denial of legal rights of affected tribal families.
He sought immediate assessment of the losses suffered by affected families and payment of full compensation, besides rehabilitation.
The protesters also cited Section 38 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, and raised concerns over houses being inundated before the completion of compensation and rehabilitation.
Published – September 27, 2026 12:19 pm IST
