Balaghat, a district in Madhya Pradesh known for growing paddy twice a year, has struggled with worsening water shortages over the past few years, leaving large stretches of farmland entirely dependent on rainfall. To address this, then chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan travelled to the Lamta area of Balaghat exactly three years ago, on February 22, 2023, to inaugurate a micro pipe irrigation project. Farmers had pinned fresh hopes on this new irrigation technology, but those hopes have now gone up in smoke after BJP leader and Janpad Panchayat member Bhuvaneshwar Rajak, along with two associates, allegedly set fire to a plant linked to the project. The accused are currently in police custody.
A Rs 146 crore project meant to benefit 55 villages
Villages that had long battled drought, where farming became nearly impossible whenever rains failed, were the intended beneficiaries of a Rs 146 crore pressurised pipe micro irrigation project launched three years ago. The project was designed to directly benefit around 12,000 farmers across 55 villages. It was expected to irrigate roughly 9,630 hectares of land in the Lamta area. Its benefits were not limited to the kharif crop alone, farmers were also expected to gain during the rabi and zaid growing seasons.
Work was due to finish by November, now a major setback
Executive engineer U.S. Parte said this is the only micro irrigation project in Balaghat and holds huge significance for the district's rural areas. The project had reached its final stage, and farmers across the 55 villages were expected to start benefiting from November onward. That timeline is now in serious doubt. Parte said he was informed in the evening that a fire had broken out at the plant. Equipment worth crores of rupees was reduced to ashes, along with pipes, machinery and construction material that were completely destroyed in the blaze. Police and fire brigade teams rushed to the spot as soon as the news came in, and the fire was brought under control only after hours of effort.
Local MLA calls it a Naxal-style attack
Reacting to the incident, local MLA Madhu Bhagat said the attack was carried out exactly in the style Naxalite groups have used in the past. He said Naxal outfits have often resorted to similar acts to extract money through extortion.
Congress district chief hits back, alleges small fish get caught while big ones escape
Congress district president and Baihar MLA Sanjay Uike also reacted to the incident. He questioned the difference in the condition of party workers before the BJP came to power in the state and their condition now. Citing the Ram temple donation scam as an example, he said cases like these only end up catching small fish, while the bigger players walk away unscathed.
Plant targeted after Rs 10 lakh extortion demand was refused
Balaghat Superintendent of Police Aditya Mishra laid out the sequence of events, saying Atul Baghele, a guard posted at the PH-2 plant of Triraj Ventures Private Limited, filed the complaint. According to the complaint, on July 1, sarpanch Rajesh Sirsam, Janpad member Bhuvaneshwar Rajak, Rakesh Damahe and seven to eight others arrived at the plant and demanded Rs 10 lakh from the project manager. When the company refused to pay, the accused allegedly flew into a rage. The complaint states that Rakesh Damahe had brought along a can filled with petrol, which was sprinkled over pipes and other material stored at the plant before it was set on fire.
Guard who tried to stop them nearly burned alive, saved himself with rainwater
Guard Atul Baghele, who tried to stop the arsonists, was allegedly doused with petrol in an attempt to burn him alive, leaving his hands badly burnt. He managed to save his life by putting out the flames using rainwater. The project manager and other staff present at the site fled to safety during the incident. The fire destroyed plastic pipes, HDPE fittings, valves, panels, SCADA systems and other material stored across three containers. The company has estimated the damage at around Rs 4 to 5 crore.
Three arrested, sent to three-day police remand
Balaghat police have registered a case against the sarpanch, the Janpad member and others under several serious sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Three accused have been arrested so far, while a search continues for the rest. The arrested men were initially held on a two-day remand, then produced before the honourable court on July 3, which sent them into a three-day police remand. What further disclosures emerge from the questioning remains to be seen.
