IN a capitalist system, development spells ruin for the poor. A defining characteristic of capitalism is the absence of words like compassion, mercy, and justice from its lexicon; its vocabulary revolves entirely around profit. In this system, "development" signifies nothing more than the expansion of profits. It conveys a clear message to the poor, the exploited, and the marginalised: they are destined to endure further deprivation. Like an ox yoked to an oil press, this system does not move in a straight line; its version of development simply circles around profit.

Farmers from the 14 villages affected by the Ken-Betwa Link Project—the majority of whom are Adivasis and Dalits—are bearing the brunt of this development. They have now been reduced to mere statistics—statistics that are incomplete, at that. Initially, the number of displaced households was reported as 6,600. However, the affected people protested, pointing out that the truly affected individuals had been left out. Questions were raised about how the coffers of the ineligible were being filled by classifying them as eligible. It was only after people took to the streets and even staged protests in the river itself that the names of another 750 people were added to the list of the affected. Yet, not a single ineligible person was removed from the list, while many genuinely eligible families remain excluded. A crucial aspect being overlooked during the compilation of this list is that the Adivasis and forest-dwelling communities in these villages have occupied the forest land for generations. Under the Forest Rights Act, they ought to be granted land leases (pattas’). They wandered from pillar to post with their applications for these leases, only to have them flatly refused. If their applications were never accepted, how could they possibly receive compensation? Thus, those who need compensation the most have been deemed ineligible for it.

However, the issue of the Ken-Betwa Link Project extends far beyond displacement or the corruption surrounding it. It raises numerous questions regarding the environment and geology – questions to which neither the administration nor the government is providing answers. It is precisely this silence that casts doubt on the government's intentions.

Incidentally, this is the country's first river-linking project. While the scheme had been languishing in official files since the 1980s, it was the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government that gave it momentum. In fact, the BJP’s slogan for the 2004 Lok Sabha elections was about connecting rivers to rivers and hearts to hearts. However, the electorate rejected the idea, and the BJP-led NDA government was voted out of power.

WHERE IS ‘SURPLUS WATER’?

The stated objective of this project is to maximise the utilisation of river water. Under this plan, it is proposed to divert water from the Ken River into the Betwa River. The question arises: does the Ken actually have surplus water? When the scheme was originally formulated, the Collector of Panna district wrote to the Planning Commission and the Principal Secretary of the Water Resources Department, stating that it was inappropriate to claim there was surplus water in the Ken. He argued that if the multipurpose projects proposed in 1983 were implemented, the entire water resources of the Betwa could be utilised, thereby meeting the irrigation and drinking water needs of Panna and Chhatarpur. Thus, based on that 1983 plan, there is not a single drop of surplus water in the Ken.

Currently, only the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh utilises the waters of the Ken River. The Panna District Collector had, in fact, recommended to the Planning Commission and the Principal Secretary of the Water Resources Department that this water be reserved for Bundelkhand's use. However, once the Ken's water is diverted into the Betwa, Bundelkhand will no longer be able to access it. It is worth noting that Bundelkhand is one of the most drought-prone regions not just in the state, but in the entire country. It also witnesses the highest rate of outward migration in the state; often, entire families migrate to metropolitan cities for manual labor, leaving behind only the elderly. True development should aim to curb this migration, yet linking the Ken to the Betwa threatens to render Bundelkhand's land even more barren and force even more people to migrate.

ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE

Following the Panna Collector's report, there were attempts to gloss over the issue with claims that Panna district would also benefit. However, the damage caused by the project far outweighs the benefits cited in these attempts at damage control. The government itself admits that the Panna Tiger Project will be affected; 4,141 hectares of its land will be submerged, in addition to the loss of 1,314 hectares of land in the buffer zone. Current estimates indicate that over 30,000 trees will be submerged due to the project. If these trees go under and the buffer zone is also submerged, what will become of the tiger reserve? What adverse impact will this have on the local wildlife and fauna? What will become of the environment and the birds inhabiting these 30,000 trees once they are submerged? This is a major question. Environmentalists are raising precisely this issue, yet the government offers no answer.

Environmentalists point to yet another adverse consequence: diverting the Ken's water into the Betwa could halt the river's natural flow. A cessation of flow would lead to the river drying up, triggering far-reaching negative impacts—such as a further drop in the water table, an escalation of the drinking water and irrigation crisis, and the eventual barrenness of the land. The lives of birds and other creatures will also be jeopardised.

COSTS NOT REVEALED

Plans conceived on paper often prove to be failures in practice. This project is set to be a costly affair because the Ken flows at a lower elevation than the Betwa; consequently, the water cannot be transferred simply by constructing a dam or digging a canal—it must be lifted. There has been no assessment of the electricity required for such pumping operations, nor is it clear if the state possesses sufficient power capacity. Furthermore, no details have been disclosed regarding the price at which farmers would eventually receive this water for irrigation or drinking purposes. In reality, this project is less about connecting one river to another and more about severing the bond between the people and their water source; it represents a step towards the privatisation of rivers.

GOVT REPRESSION

The BJP government led by Dr. Mohan Yadav remains silent on all these serious questions. The government claims to have made full arrangements for compensation. However, is it possible to provide full compensation or rehabilitation to all affected families with a total compensation fund of Rs 300 crore? Certainly not. That is why affected families are now being forcibly evicted. Electricity connections to their homes are being cut off. Public handpumps are being uprooted, leaving people desperate for drinking water. An atmosphere of terror is being created in the area. By filing cases against more than 250 affected individuals, the BJP government has demonstrated that it offers only lawsuits in the name of compensation and jail in the name of rehabilitation.

Another aspect of this situation is that during the crackdown on students at Jantar Mantar on July 20, the BJP government led by Dr. Mohan Yadav also unleashed a brutal lathi-charge on those affected by the Ken-Betwa project. They declared the movement forcibly ended, and the movement's leader was forcibly taken away and admitted to a hospital. Yet, the movement continues despite this repression. The Chief Minister bears direct responsibility for this crackdown, as he holds the Home portfolio.

On July 21, Akhilesh Yadav, the State General Secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Kisan Sabha, visited the affected villages with a delegation and urged the farmers to continue their struggle until justice is secured. On August 9, under the leadership of the Madhya Pradesh Kisan Sabha, the affected people staged a protest at the District Collector's office, demanding an end to the repression and displacement, or alternatively, full compensation and rehabilitation prior to any displacement. General Secretary Akhilesh Yadav led the protest.