Madhya Pradesh govt releases Rs 500 crore to revive 3 stalled upper Narmada projects
The Madhya Pradesh government has released Rs 500 crore to speed up land acquisition and rehabilitation for three key multipurpose projects in the upper reaches
The Madhya Pradesh government has released Rs 500 crore to speed up land acquisition and rehabilitation for three key multipurpose projects in the upper reaches of the Narmada river. The Upper Narmada, Raghavpur and Basania projects had been stalled for more than three years because of compensation-related issues in tribal areas. The release is part of the Rs 1,280 crore special relief package approved by the state cabinet in December 2025. It is in addition to the Rs 1,656.02 crore already provided in the original Detailed Project Reports, taking the total cost of the special package to Rs 2,936.02 crore. Read Full Story Additional Chief Secretary, Narmada Valley Development Department, Dr Rajesh Rajora, told PTI, "The state government has released Rs 500 crore out of the special package announced in December 2025. This will expedite the land acquisition process for the Upper Narmada, Raghavpur and Basania dam projects." Officials from the department said land acquisition began in 2023 but was halted after strong opposition from tribal families. An official said, "About 85 per cent of the affected land is in Fifth Schedule (tribal-dominated) areas. Since the collector guideline rates were very low, this gap led to strong resistance and stalled surveys." To address this, the government approved a special consent-based compensation package similar to the one used for the Ken-Betwa project.
Under it, compensation for land will be paid at either the collector rate plus an additional 100 per cent compensation or Rs 12.5 lakh per hectare, whichever is higher. The package also provides additional compensation for huts, trees, orchards, wells and tubewells, along with a one-time rehabilitation grant for each affected family. The grant includes either a plot in an urban area and Rs 6.5 lakh, a plot in a rural area and Rs 7 lakh, or Rs 12.5 lakh in cash. SC/ST families from tribal areas will also receive an additional Rs 50,000. Officials said the special package is a significant improvement on the provisions made in the original Detailed Project Reports. Explaining the compensation, a senior official said, "Let's presume that a farmer loses agricultural land, a tubewell, and a house. Under the compensation package, the farmer will receive compensation for the agricultural land at either the collector rate plus an additional 100 per cent compensation or Rs 12.5 lakh per hectare, whichever is higher. The farmer will also receive additional compensation for the tubewell. For the house, the farmer will either receive a plot and Rs 6.5 lakh in an urban area or a plot and Rs 7 lakh in a rural area.
The BriefWire