A multipurpose hydroelectric and irrigation project in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, pending for over 45 years, may finally see the light of day. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai told journalists on Saturday (June 7, 2025) that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given a green signal to the ₹49,000 crore project.
A government statement added that the Bodhghat project is a multipurpose initiative based on the Indravati River in Bastar that was originally conceptualised in 1980 with the primary goal of electricity generation. Irrigation was later incorporated as a key component. The delays have been attributed to Maoism in the area as well as regulatory and social challenges, the statement said.
Working toward a meaningful ‘victims’ register’ in Bastar
Irrigation, power benefits
Mr. Sai said that the Bodhghat project would facilitate irrigation across seven lakh hectares, especially benefiting districts like Dantewada, Sukma, and Bijapur in the Bastar region. “The hydropower plant under this project will produce 125 megawatts of electricity, significantly contributing to Chhattisgarh’s energy requirements. Moreover, by linking it with the Mahanadi River, the benefits will extend to the plains, reaching farmers in Rajnandgaon, Kawardha, and Mungeli [areas in the State’s central plains, north of Bastar],” he said.
