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The panchayat of Chutka village disscussing about the possible displacement. Photograph: (Ground Report)
Read in Hindi: Residents of Tatighat, Kunda, and Chutka have gathered at a panchayat (village council) meeting in Chutka village, 62 kilometres from Mandla district headquarters in Madhya Pradesh. The mood is tense as they discuss a critical issue: the threat of displacement due to a proposed nuclear power plant. The villagers are exploring ways to protect their homes and farmland.
In December 2024, permission was granted to set up nuclear power plants in four districts of the state. This also includes the Kindrai Power Plant in Kindrai village of Seoni district. The village is located just a few kilometres away from Chutka. After this announcement, protests have started in Seoni district. While the apprehensions about displacement in Chutka have increased further.
In 2009, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) announced plans to establish a nuclear power plant in Chutka. The 1400 MW (2x700 MW) plant received financial approval on June 15, 2017. The project is expected to impact around 54 villages, with Chutka facing complete displacement and Kunda and Tatighat experiencing partial displacement.
Though the nuclear power plant project has been approved, strong opposition from local communities has prevented displacement. However, the looming possibility of the plant's construction in Kindrai has cast a shadow of fear over Chutka's residents. An elderly villager expressed the community's deep anxiety during our conversation,
"Chutka will be the first to go—but where are we supposed to build a new home?"
Haunted by past displacement from the Bargi Dam and worried about radiation risks and ecological harm, they continue to fight to protect their land, identity, and future.
Nuclear power plants everywhere
Besides Seoni’s power plant, four new projects have been approved in Dewas, Neemuch and Shivpuri. These plants will be of 1200 MW where 2 to 6 units will be set up. For this, 1200 to 2000 acres of land will be required.
DP Giriyam, who heads the Kshetriya Jan Suraksha Samiti opposing the Kindrai power plant, explains that news reports about the planned facility have sparked deep anxiety among villagers. The situation is particularly sensitive as most residents have already experienced displacement once before, due to the Bargi Dam project. The Bargi Dam, a pioneering structure on the Narmada River with its 21 gates, serves two major irrigation initiatives - the Bargi Diversion Project and the Rani Avantibai Lodhi Sagar Project.
Adding to the community's frustration is the government's failure to inform the Gram Sabha (village assembly) about the power plant - a legal requirement under the PESA Act.
"The government plans to uproot us from our homes," Giriyam states, "yet keeps us in the dark about everything.”
A recent attempt by government officials to conduct an unauthorized survey of farmlands sparked strong resistance from local villagers. Residents were outraged that administrative staff entered and assessed their fields without seeking permission. This unannounced survey has heightened fears of impending displacement, not just in the immediate area but across neighbouring villages as well. In response, the community has called for a Gram Sabha meeting in Chutka to address these concerns.
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Reasons behind Chutka's rising anxiety?
Though the nuclear power plant in Chutka was approved in 2009, the designated 'green field' site remains untouched in 2025 - a testament to sustained local resistance that has prevented any construction from beginning.
A significant development occurred in May 2023 when the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited entered into a joint venture with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). The agreement outlines their collaboration on two major projects: the Chutka Atomic Power Project and the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (4x700 MV).
According to a parliamentary response in December 2023, the government confirmed acquiring 708.19 hectares of land for the Rs 21,000 crore Chutka power plant project. While claiming that compensation has been distributed and resettlement colonies constructed, the government acknowledged that affected villages have not yet been evacuated. They also firmly stated there are no plans to relocate the project elsewhere.
Recent developments over the past eighteen months have only intensified the villagers fears of displacement. Now, the preliminary steps toward establishing a power plant in Kindrai are making these concerns even more concrete.
Saga of development and displacement
"The curse of displacement has haunted us since independence, blocking any chance of progress," says Bhagwati Bai from her home in Chutka village. At fifty-six, she faces the prospect of being uprooted for a second time - first by the Bargi Dam project, and now by the planned nuclear power plant.
Her story echoes throughout the community, where most residents already carry the trauma of previous displacement from the Bargi Dam. Among them is 58-year-old Shyamlal Barman from Tatighat. "My father was a farmer with 11 acres of agricultural land and 2 Kachhar," he recounts. "All of it vanished under the Bargi project waters." The compensation they received was pitiful - between Rs 600 to Rs 1500 per acre - leaving them landless.
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Barman now struggles to support his family of seven without farmland. His story reflects a harsh reality faced by many: communities forced to rebuild their lives repeatedly, with each displacement depleting their resources and resilience.
Tatighat, as its name suggests, is situated on the banks of the Narmada River. Around 42 fishermen’s families live here, but they all share the same complaint—declining fish populations in the river have made it increasingly difficult to sustain their livelihoods.
"The price of fish is 20 rupees per kilogram, but 5 rupees go to the federation. That leaves us with just 15 rupees per kilogram," Barman explains.
On an average day, he catches only 2 kilograms of fish, barely enough to meet his family’s needs. As a result, both his sons have migrated to work as labourers.
Barman notes that this struggle is shared by every household in the village. By January, only 22 of the 42 families remained in Tatighat, with the rest having migrated in search of work.
In 2015, a total compensation of ₹41.6 crore was distributed to 450 families. However, residents of Chutka, Kunda, and Tatighat claim that the compensation was deposited into their accounts without their knowledge.
Barman shares his struggles, saying he has no savings and lives hand-to-mouth. In such a situation, migrating elsewhere and starting over feels impossible.
He lives in a 2,352-square-foot kutcha house for which he received ₹2.58 lakh as compensation. Additionally, he was given a compensation package of ₹6.25 lakh. However, he emphasizes that the losses caused by displacement far outweigh the financial aid he received.
“We were farmers earlier, then we lost our land and we lived on fish farming. Now leaving this, where will we learn new work?”
In fact, the fishermen of Tatighat argue that there is no means of livelihood for them at the place where they are being rehabilitated.
A colony has been built in Gojhi village of Mandla district for the rehabilitation of the people of this area. But there is no means of employment around this village, located about 50 km from the district headquarters. ‘There is neither any big industry in Mandla nor is there any big reservoir from which fish can be caught.’
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From farmers to labourers
Dadulal (64) from Chutka village is an organic farmer who fears losing his land. Giving a tour of his 10 acres, he proudly shows his lush green wheat and pea crops. “This is the 'land of gold,'” he says.
Dadulal explains that while the government refers to it as 'barra zameen' (stony land), but he has been able to achieve abundant production from it. He adds that he currently cultivates his crops at a low cost by avoiding chemical fertilizers. However, if displaced, he will become landless and will have no choice but to rely on labour for his livelihood.
He also repeats the words of Shyamlal Burman and says that it is difficult to earn a livelihood only by labour.
For Dadulal, this displacement is not limited to changing his address. He says,
"We are tribal farmers. We live in the middle of the forest. Here we are the owners of the land, if we go there, we will end up as labourers."
Dadulal has 4 cows and almost the same number of buffaloes. But he has not received any compensation for them. He says that there is no place to tie these animals in the rehabilitation colonies located in Gonjhi. If it will be difficult to feed the family by doing labour work, then what will he feed the animals? Dadulal says that right now his animals get food from the fodder coming from his field and the grass growing in the forest, but this will also become difficult once they move away from the forest.
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Risks of radiation
Ramlal Narte (68), a farmer from the Gond tribal community in Kunda village, cultivates 20 acres of land. His village will only face partial displacement due to the Chutka project. Narte is not among those being displaced yet he is strongly opposed to it.
Narte, along with other residents from Kunda, Chutka, and Tatighat, had visited the Rawatbhata Nuclear Power Plant in Rajasthan. There, they learned from the locals about the radiation risks associated with the plant. In July 2012, national dailies reported on the presence of tritium radiation at Rawatbhata, with six people reportedly affected within just a month.
Hearing this, the people of Kunda and neighbouring villages fear that if the Chutka power plant is built, they too could be exposed to harmful radiation.
Rajkumar Sinha (60), who united the tribal community and started a movement against the Chutka project, also raises the question of radiation and says,
"It is said that this (nuclear power plant) is a clean energy but in reality, it is not clean."
Uranium dioxide (UO2) and heavy water (Deuterium Oxide) are used in nuclear reactors. Uranium dioxide, which is used as fuel, is a radioactive substance. According to the report prepared by NEERI, this plant will contain radionuclides in liquid and gaseous state.
According to the report (page 6), people living outside the plant will be getting 0.11 mSv radiation dose every year if the plant operates normaly. Whereas for the employees working in the Chutka nuclear power plant, such arrangements will be made that they will have to absorb a total of 100 mSv radiation in 5 years.
According to the standards of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), this limit for the general public is 1 mSv per year. Whereas for the employees it is 20 mSv per year. That is, in government papers, this plant appears to be following the government standards of radiation but 'permissible does not mean safe'.
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Social activist Rajkumar Sinha, a key member of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, questions the findings of the NEERI report. He argues that the organization, known for preparing environmental impact assessments in line with government preferences, conducted a superficial study on the potential effects of the project.
Dr Soumya Dutta, co-convener of the South Asian People's Action on Climate Crisis (SAPACC), also raises concerns about the radiation risks from the plant.
"The fission of uranium (U235) releases various radioactive gases, including iodine (I-131), which can enter the human body through the atmosphere," he explains.
Dr Dutta warns that children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable, adding that this could lead to genetic changes in future generations living nearby.
Sinha further highlights that, in addition to radiation, the Narmada river's ecology could be significantly impacted by the plant. The facility will require 9,000 cubic meters of water per hour, sourced from the Bargi Dam on the Narmada. While 2,660 cubic meters of water will be returned to the dam,
Dr. Dutta expresses concern over this process. He explains that fish are highly sensitive to changes in water temperature, and releasing hot water from the reactor into the reservoir could disrupt the river's ecology and harm local fish populations.
Since 2009, the people of Chutka and other affected villages, including Dadulal, have been living in uncertainty. As a result, development in the area has come to a complete standstill. Dadulal wants to build a toilet at his house, but no one knows when he might be forced to leave. Despite this, Dadulal insists he will not leave. “If the government wants, it can even kill us, but we will not move,” he asserts.
Edited by Diwash Gahatraj
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