The package aims to ease tribal compensation disputes and unlock irrigation, hydropower and flood control benefits in the Narmada basin
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.
Land acquisition and compensation
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 said land acquisition began in 2023 but was halted after strong opposition from tribal families. 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.
Benefits of the projects
The three dams would create a total storage capacity of 2,637 million cubic metres, or about 2.14 million acre-feet. Rajora explained, “Water stored during the monsoon season can be released in a controlled manner during the dry season. The storage will help irrigate large areas of agricultural land—directly around 72,367 hectares through these projects, while supporting many more through the basin system.”
It will also generate 125 MW of clean hydropower and provide drinking water to villages. Importantly, storing water in the steep-sloped upper reaches will reduce flood risks in the gently sloping middle reaches of the Narmada river, especially around Jabalpur and the Narmadapuram area.
Officials said the dams would hold back heavy monsoon flows, lower flood peaks, protect villages and farmland, and reduce soil erosion downstream. Controlled releases from these upper dams would improve water management for existing downstream projects such as the Bargi Dam and create a more efficient cascade system across the Narmada basin.
Water share concerns addressed
Rajora dismissed concerns about any loss of the state’s share of Narmada water to Gujarat, saying, “Madhya Pradesh is already fully utilising its allocated 18.25 million acre-feet share of Narmada water during the non-monsoon season through completed and ongoing projects. There is no question of the state losing its water share.”
With the release of Rs 500 crore, land acquisition and survey work can now resume quickly in Dindori, Mandla and Anuppur districts, allowing construction of the dams, powerhouses and modern piped irrigation systems to move forward.The package aims to ease tribal compensation disputes and unlock irrigation, hydropower and flood control benefits in the Narmada basin
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.
Land acquisition and compensation
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 said land acquisition began in 2023 but was halted after strong opposition from tribal families. 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.
Benefits of the projects
The three dams would create a total storage capacity of 2,637 million cubic metres, or about 2.14 million acre-feet. Rajora explained, “Water stored during the monsoon season can be released in a controlled manner during the dry season. The storage will help irrigate large areas of agricultural land—directly around 72,367 hectares through these projects, while supporting many more through the basin system.”
It will also generate 125 MW of clean hydropower and provide drinking water to villages. Importantly, storing water in the steep-sloped upper reaches will reduce flood risks in the gently sloping middle reaches of the Narmada river, especially around Jabalpur and the Narmadapuram area.
Officials said the dams would hold back heavy monsoon flows, lower flood peaks, protect villages and farmland, and reduce soil erosion downstream. Controlled releases from these upper dams would improve water management for existing downstream projects such as the Bargi Dam and create a more efficient cascade system across the Narmada basin.
Water share concerns addressed
Rajora dismissed concerns about any loss of the state’s share of Narmada water to Gujarat, saying, “Madhya Pradesh is already fully utilising its allocated 18.25 million acre-feet share of Narmada water during the non-monsoon season through completed and ongoing projects. There is no question of the state losing its water share.”
With the release of Rs 500 crore, land acquisition and survey work can now resume quickly in Dindori, Mandla and Anuppur districts, allowing construction of the dams, powerhouses and modern piped irrigation systems to move forward.
