Activist ends fast against Ken, Betwa linking after 18 days

SOCIAL – UNREST

24 JULY 2026

• Activist Amit Bhatnagar, who had been on a hunger strike against the Ken-Betwa river linking project for 18 days, suspended his fast after the government’s assurance to include the people left out from the rehabilitation process.
• After breaking his fast, Mr. Bhatnagar said that he took the decision as several tribal women who had been part of the protest had also stopped eating since July 19 when the police forcibly took him to a hospital and dismantled the demonstration site on the banks of Barana river in Kupi village of Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district.

Ken-Betwa River Linking Project

• The Ken–Betwa River Linking Project is India’s first river interlinking project under the National Perspective Plan.
• It aims to transfer surplus water from the Ken River to the Betwa River to reduce water scarcity in the Bundelkhand region.
• States involved are Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh
• The project was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2021.
• Its estimated cost is around ₹44,605 crore

Objectives

• Provide irrigation to about 10.62 lakh hectares of land.
• Supply drinking water to about 62 lakh people.
• Generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar power.
• Reduce drought and improve agriculture in Bundelkhand.

Major Components

• Daudhan Dam on the Ken River.
• 221-km Ken–Betwa Link Canal.
• Powerhouses and irrigation infrastructure.

Concerns

• Submergence of part of the Panna Tiger Reserve, affecting forests and wildlife.
• Environmental and ecological impacts.
• Displacement of some local communities.
• Debate over whether the Ken River truly has “surplus” water.