The Hidden Truth About Home Compensations in This Madhya Pradesh District

The investigation uncovered an alarming development in Singrauli district related to the stalled Lalitpur-Singrauli railway line project. With a budget of Rs 6,672 crore allocated in 2016, the railway line construction has not been completed, while a surge in makeshift house constructions by outsiders on tribal lands has emerged to exploit compensation payouts.

The investigation delves into the scale of this growing scam. A rapid construction of these makeshift houses along the Singrauli-Prayagraj National Highway was earlier reported, with lush green fields in 33 villages of Chitrangi and Dudhmaniya being replaced with hastily constructed rows of houses strategically built to claim compensation.

This trend appears to have extended from the railway project itself, with allegations of collusion between local leaders, officials, and land mafia in buying land from farmers to exploit compensation schemes. The sudden appearance of concrete houses raises serious questions about their true purpose, with many of these areas inhabited by Baiga tribals who feel powerless to stop the exploitation.

According to locals, outsiders from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Jharkhand are buying land and constructing multi-storey houses solely to claim compensation, often manipulating poor locals into agreements promising a small commission. A syndicate preys on landowners, purchasing land cheaply or coercing them into agreements, and then constructs buildings to inflate compensation claims.

Investigations have uncovered agents openly discussing building houses in exchange for a share of the compensation, typically ranging from 25% to 30%. Despite assurances from authorities that new constructions will not receive compensation, the trend persists unchecked.

Moreover, corruption is rampant in the Lalitpur-Singrauli railway line project, with fake houses being claimed on tribal land and compensation sought without proper registration post-notification. Despite investigations revealing the absence of these houses, payments continue, benefiting both the compensation mafia and complicit officials.

The investigation has brought to light administrative inertia and a nexus of corruption plaguing developmental projects. As the government turns a blind eye to these injustices, the fight for transparency and accountability rages on.