Overview
- Protest leader Amit Bhatnagar ended an 18-day hunger strike on July 23 after the district administration promised fresh verification and inclusion of left-out families in rehabilitation lists.
- The state carried out a resurvey in Chhatarpur that added 638 families, raising sanctioned beneficiaries there from 3,080 to 3,718, and the government says Panna’s 1,321 displaced families have been sanctioned packages.
- Officials agreed that representatives of the Jai Kisan Sangathan will be part of joint verification and inquiry teams that the chief minister has pledged to complete within about a month.
- Villagers have staged symbolic pyre protests, chulha-bandhs by women and demonstrations since July 3 to demand that surveys, Gram Sabha records and compensation lists be rechecked for omissions and irregularities.
- The dispute could affect project timelines because environmental clearance requires resettlement before commissioning, and opposition leaders are demanding independent or judicial probes over alleged improper disbursements.