MP High Court Directs State To Address Grievances Of Families Displaced By Sardar Sarovar Dam Project In Medha Patkar's PIL

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the State to address concerns raised by social activist Medha Patkar in the public interest litigation concerning the land allotment process for families displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Dam Project. The PIL sought proper resettlement and rehabilitation of the displaced families and primarily concerns allotment of house plots and the legal rights of the Project Affected Families (PAF) whose properties, including homes, shops and agricultural land, were acquired due to the submergence caused by the project. Yesterday, Patkar raised concerns regarding several individuals who had yet to receive the plots, with instances of fraud, cheating, and fraudulent documentation surfacing in the process. She also stated that in compliance with the court's order, she had met with the Additional Chief Secretary and submitted additional grievances, including the backwater issue; however, these issues were yet to be addressed.The division bench of Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi observed;"In view of the aforesaid, we ask Additional Chief Secretary to address the issues which have been submitted before him by the petitioner on 6/3/2026 and before addressing the aforesaid issues, if he may again call the petitioner for meeting. List the matter on 29/6/2026".The petition stated that the allotment of house plots to PAFs was mishandled, and that some of the plots were allotted without proper demarcation and measurement, leading ot confusion and disputes. Further, the petition highlighted that many displaced families were promised maleer house plots instead of larger ones, as per the government order of 1995. However, hundreds of families are still waiting for the allotment. The non-allocation of these plots thus violates the fundamental part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. Additionally, the petition emphasized that some plots, though allotted on paper, are yet to be developed or demarcated. This had led to prolonged deprivation of the affected families, especially in Nimrani and Gajipura areas, where families are still awaiting proper housing despite the floods from the dam submerging their original homes. The petition also stated that many families have been allotted plots far from their original villages, sometimes as far as 20 kms, which violates the government policy of resettlement and rehabilitation. This policy stipulates that the alternative plots should be within a short distance from the submerged areas. The petition further pointed out instances of corruption and irregularities in the allotment and reallocation process. The court, in an order of September 25, 2025, acknowledged that while allotment letters were issued to PAFs in 2002, they have not been registered under the Registration Act, leaving displaced families without full legal ownership of their allotted land. These allotment letters, although conferring some rights, are not recognised as complete title documents, hindering the PAF's ability to sell, mortgage or transfer their plots and potentially causing future disputes. The court further noted that after more than two decades, these allotments were still not registered, and the government had failed to provide a clear policy on how these certificates can be used as legal title documents. Following this, the court had summoned the Additional Chief Secretary, Dr Rajesh Rajora, to appear and present a solution to the registration of these allotment letters. Dr Rajora admitted that the allotment letters were not registered, but assured the court that the State Government had developed a comprehensive survey plan for the entire state, with displaced families to be given priority. On January 5, 2026, the court heard a progress report, which indicated that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for registration had been established and the process had commenced. The court was informed that the entire registration process was expected to take six months. During the next hearing on February 26, 2026, the court expressed concerns about the slow pace of the process and directed the Additional Chief Secretary to appear again for an update. Yesterday, the State also submitted a fresh status report on the registration process, detailing progress as of April 27, 2026. The court noted that the report highlighted practical challenges, including seasonal migration of displaced people and lack of consensus among the legal heirs in cases involving deceased allottees. Case Title: Medha Patkar v State of Madhya Pradesh WP - 35006/2024,Petitioner-in-Person: Medha PatkarFor State: Deputy Advocate General Sudeep BhargavaFor Narmada Valley Development Authority: Advocate Kushal GoyalFor Narmada Control Authority: Advocate H.Y. MehtaClick here to read/download the Order

MP High Court Directs State To Address Grievances Of Families Displaced By Sardar Sarovar Dam Project In Medha Patkar's PIL

Jayanti Pahwa

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