Chhatarpur, April 10 Work on the Dhodan dam in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district remained suspended on Friday as a protest by tribal people, farmers, and women of the region entered its sixth day, officials said.
The dam is part of the ambitious Ken-Betwa river interlinking project, they added.
Nearly a thousand protesters, led by local leader Amit Bhatnagar, have gathered at the site seeking higher compensation. They have also alleged that houses were being demolished without authorization. They claimed that false cases were being registered against them over the past four years.
"Tribal people and farmers have repeatedly submitted memoranda and staged protests over the years, but their concerns remain unaddressed. Our land and resources are being taken without compensation," Bhatnagar claimed.
Most of the protesters, who are camping with rations, are from 40 villages in the region, including Majhgawan, Vishramganj, and Negwa in neighboring Panna district.
Several of them have complained of illness, rashes, itching, and fever due to the long, tiring hours in the hot sun as part of the protest.
Some women have complained of mosquito bites and other ailments due to the heat and humidity, protester Sunia Adivasi told reporters at the site.
Chhatarpur Collector Parth Jaiswal said work at the site remained suspended as affected villagers have gathered there over the past few days.
Most of the demands of the protesters cannot be met under existing legal provisions, though efforts are underway to maintain dialogue, Jaiswal said.
"Distribution of compensation under the prescribed package is about 90 per cent complete, and the remaining will also be carried out. Those from other districts present at the site must approach their local administrations with grievances," he said.
No one must violate prohibitory orders in place under Section 163 (of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita), Jaiswal warned.
Authorities will address grievances sensitively but would not consider demands outside the scope of the land acquisition law, he said.