17,000 Trees Face Axe for Ken-Betwa Project

Over 17,000 trees are set to be felled in Madhya Pradesh for the implementation of the Ken-Betwa River Interlinking Project (KBLP), according to the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

The tree removal is part of the construction process for the Daudhan Dam and associated infrastructure under KBLP—the only river-linking project under the National Perspective Plan (NPP) to have reached the implementation stage.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary confirmed that no objections have been raised by the project authority, district administration, or forest department regarding the tree cutting. Of the total, 12,404 trees are located within the Panna Tiger Reserve, a critical biodiversity zone.

Land acquisition and resettlement are being carried out by the Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh governments under the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. A special compensation and rehabilitation package approved in September 2023 will support an estimated 7,193 affected families.

Out of the ₹4,469.41 crore allocated to the project over the past three years, ₹3,969.79 crore has already been utilized.

Despite environmental concerns, the KBLP is projected to deliver significant socio-economic benefits to the Bundelkhand region, including irrigation for 2.51 lakh hectares of agricultural land across Jhansi, Mahoba, Banda, and Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh, and drinking water supply to 21 lakh people in the area.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.