Kathmandu— In Madhya Pradesh, India, a massive river-linking project intended to bring water and power to drought-prone regions is displacing approximately 7,000 families. While legally entitled to fair compensation, many adult women in affected villages like Kupi and Pathapur are being excluded from receiving payments for lost land and homes, leading them to protest through symbolic acts of defiance. The Ken-Betwa project, the first of thirty planned river interlinkings across India, is raising concerns about how displaced communities—and particularly women within those communities—will be treated as the program expands. Despite a 2013 law intended to protect displaced families and ensure equal compensation for all adults, officials are often applying outdated definitions that prioritize male heads of household.

Protest on Funeral Pyres

To reach the protesting women of Kupi village, one must navigate a challenging 74km journey from Chhatarpur railway station through hilly terrain and the Panna Tiger Reserve. On humid July mornings, these women gather beneath an unnamed bridge over the Barna River to stage the ‘Chita Andolan,’ or funeral pyre protest. They lie on unlit pyres as a symbolic representation of their potential fate: homelessness, landlessness, and abandonment. Fifty-year-old Gyan Rani Gond, a member of the Indigenous Gond tribe, embodies the frustration felt by many, silently protesting the lack of recognition for her family’s losses.

Unequal Compensation

Gyan Rani's family has received some rehabilitation payments, but only in the names of the men. Despite owning 1.2 hectares of agricultural land, Gyan Rani, her daughter Muliya, and widowed daughter-in-law Pooja have not received individual compensation for their losses. One of their homes has already been demolished, leaving rubble where it once stood, while another is under threat. The family’s plight highlights a systemic issue: the failure to apply all provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (LARR) 2013, which explicitly states that every adult, regardless of gender, should be treated as a separate family for compensation purposes. “Me, my daughter, and my daughter-in-law Pooja should be compensated,” Gyan Rani stated firmly. “They have broken our house…If the government cannot give us compensation, then they should send us to another country.”

Systemic Issues and Government Response

Experts argue that the exclusion of women from compensation is not an oversight but a reflection of how the law is interpreted in practice. Bina Agarwal, professor of development economics at the University of Manchester, explains that officials often prioritize the conventional definition of family, ignoring the provision recognizing adult women as separate entities entitled to their own compensation. As of April 2025, no affected families had been fully rehabilitated, according to a Right to Information request. While government officials later claimed all eligible families had received benefits, protests led by Jai Kisan Sangathan convener Amit Bhatnagar prompted an investigation and re-verification of affected households. Bhatnagar was arrested during the latest protest, but the questions raised about equitable compensation remain.

Uncertain Future for Displaced Families

Families who have received compensation are attempting to rebuild their lives independently, purchasing land and constructing new homes without formal resettlement assistance from the state. However, many report that the payments were insufficient to cover the costs of relocation. For Pooja Gond, a young widow in Pathapur, the lack of compensation means an uncertain future. Her husband died before receiving payment, leaving her with limited resources and no guarantee of support. She fears for the fate of her family when their remaining home is demolished, expressing a simple desire: “We don’t just want money. We want land.”

A Precedent for Future Projects

The Ken-Betwa project serves as a test case for India's ambitious plan to link 30 rivers nationwide. Critics fear that if the issues surrounding compensation and gender equality are not addressed, similar exclusions could occur in future displacement scenarios. The environmental impact of these projects is also under scrutiny, but for communities like Pathapur, the immediate concern is securing fair treatment and a sustainable livelihood after losing their homes and land.

Construction of the Daudhan Dam continues despite ongoing concerns about compensation and resettlement, leaving many families in a precarious situation as they await adequate support to rebuild their lives.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.