Gujarat : Hydro, rare earth projects turn Chhotaudepur into political flashpoint

Chhotaudepur | Gujarat — Two mega development projects proposed in Gujarat’s tribal-dominated Chhotaudepur district have snowballed into a full-blown political flashpoint, exposing deep fault lines between the ruling BJP and opposition parties Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress. The Wadia Hydro Power Project in Naswadi taluka and the GMDC Rare Earth Project in Kadipani have triggered sustained resistance from local tribals who fear large-scale displacement and loss of ancestral land.

At the heart of the agitation is the scale of land acquisition involved. Local leaders claim that nearly 18 villages will be affected by the proposed Naswadi hydro power project near the Narmada river, while around 28 villages are likely to come under the GMDC’s Kadipani rare earth mining project. For tribal communities dependent on land and forests for survival, these projects are seen as an existential threat.

The opposition intensified after a dramatic confrontation on April 24, 2025, when officials of the National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC), a central government undertaking, arrived in Wadia village to conduct survey work for the ₹4,000-crore hydro power project. Tribals from over 20 villages gathered in large numbers and blocked the survey, forcing officials, along with the district collector, MP and MLA, to retreat amid heavy protests.

To defuse growing anger, Gujarat Tribal Development Minister Naresh Patel stated from a public forum on January 8 that “no such project is going to come up in Chhotaudepur and no survey has been done.” The statement was aimed at reassuring tribal communities, but it instead opened the door for sharp attacks from the opposition.

AAP’s Dediapada MLA Chaitar Vasava accused the government of misleading tribals and presented what he claimed were official documents contradicting the minister’s statement. Speaking at a Parivartan Sabha in Kwant, Vasava said, “If there is no project, why did the government issue a gazette notification on September 25, 2020, for land acquisition in 28 villages for the rare earth project? Why was an MoU signed with NHPC, and why did officials come for a survey?”

Vasava announced that AAP would raise the issue in the upcoming budget session of the Gujarat Assembly and demand a white paper from the government, calling the matter one of transparency and tribal rights.

The Congress also joined the attack, questioning the credibility of the government’s claims. Former Leader of Opposition Sukhram Rathwa said, “These are central government projects, and the state government cannot simply cancel them through statements. What the minister is doing is vote politics. If the projects have truly been scrapped, the government should issue an official circular immediately.”