Congress alleges irregularities in land acquisition for Adani coal block in M.P.’s Singrauli, seeks joint panel

Congress MLAs in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Thursday (February 26, 2026) alleged irregularities in the land acquisition and compensation for a coal block allotted to the Adani Group in Singrauli district, and demanded a joint House committee to investigate the matter. 

The demand, raised by Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, led to intense discussions and arguments between the Treasury and Opposition benches, which further led to the Congress MLAs staging a walkout from the House. The Government, however, denied the charges and said that the land acquisition was being done as per the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013, while assuring that a probe will be conducted in case there are any irregularities. 

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In September last year, the Adani Group said that it has received approval from the Union Ministry of Coal to start the mining operations at Dhirauli mine, managed by the Mahan Energen Ltd, a subsidiary of Adani Power. The Dhirauli coal block, that covers multiple villages and forest area in Singrauli district, is among the largest in Madhya Pradesh, spread across nearly 27 square kilometres, and felling of about 5.70 lakh trees is currently going on in the area.  

During the Question Hour, Mr. Singhar said that 12,998 families were being affected in the eight villages, many of them tribal dominated, where land acquisition was being done and alleged massive irregularities in the payout plans. 

Also Read | Congress alleges FRA violations in Adani coal mine project in Madhya Pradesh

He alleged that several outsiders, including the family members of police officers posted in the area, have received land acquisition compensation of upto Rs15 lakh illegally, claiming that he had gathered the data from the District Collector’s office. 

“Outsiders came and built houses there and received compensation. The local tribals, the local people, did not receive compensation. You said that there are many people whose money still hasn’t been deposited into their accounts. I want to tell you their names, but the poor people are being thrown out. They are being told to demolish their houses with their own hands. Then they will be given the compensation. This is the government’s policy,” Mr. Singhar said, claiming that the locals were only receiving about Rs2.5 lakh for their lands. 

Revenue Minister Karan Singh Verma, however, a total of 2,672 hectare of land is to be acquired for the block which includes over 554 hectare of private land in eight villages and 1,335 hectare of protected forest land. 

He said that land acquisition is almost complete in five of these villages and claimed that a tribal family will receive at least ₹50 lakh in compensation from the government. 

“We have taken care of all the displaced people and have allocated ₹368 crore as reward money for them. We will resettle the displaced. We have also allotted land for them. The company will provide 3 crore rupees, and as the LoP is asking, a tribal will receive at least ₹50 lakh,” Mr. Verma said, later adding that more than ₹144 have already been given as compensation. 

Mr. Singhar, however, refuted the claims and said no tribal family is receiving more than ₹2-2.5 lakh.

“An amount of approximately ₹368 crore, if divided among 12,000 families, comes to ₹2 lakh, then how did the tribals get ₹50 lakh [per family]?” he said, while also asking how the Adani Group was approved to operate the mine when the land acquisition was still going on. He demanded that the mining operations be halted till the land acquisition is complete and locals have been compensated and rehabilitated. 

As the Congress MLAs demanded a probe committee, Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Prahlad Patel said that while forming a panel was upto the House Chair, the government will probe the allegations and present a list of those who have received compensation. 

As Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar directed to move to the next issue, the scenes turned chaotic with the Congress MLAs demanding the panel. Various MLAs also entered the well resorting to sloganeering, leading to some brief adjournments. 

Even as the Congress MLAs alleged that the government was “escaping” from an investigation, Mr. Patel said that the government was ready for one. 

Following multiple adjournments and intense uproar, the Congress MLAs staged a walk out from the House. 

Published – February 27, 2026 02:20 am IST