Over 1,020 acres, mostly agricultural land, leased at ₹1 per year for Adani power project in Bihar

September 17, 2025 by News Desk

More than a thousand acres of farmland in Pirpainti, Bhagalpur district, have been leased for Adani Power’s upcoming 2,400 MW thermal power plant, but villagers say the deal has left them aggrieved and uncertain about their future.

A ground investigation by Startuppedia reported that around 1,020 acres were handed over to the company for a nominal lease of Re 1 per year for 33 years. Farmers interviewed on site alleged that they were “forced” to part with their land and that compensation was uneven. Some claimed they were pressured by local officials to sign documents without clarity on terms. We were told the land had to go, whether we agreed or not. The price given was nowhere near its real value,” one farmer was quoted as saying.

Another villager alleged that those who resisted faced intimidation. “They said if we don’t give the land, we will be left with nothing at all. What choice did we have?” he told reporters.

The ground report also noted widespread concern over the fate of nearly 10 lakh trees that villagers say will be felled to make way for the project. “They talk about planting trees in slogans, but here they are cutting down everything we have lived with for generations,” another local resident said.

According to Adani Power, the project is expected to bring in investments worth over USD 3 billion and generate thousands of jobs during construction and operation. Officials maintain that the plant will supply power to Bihar at a tariff of ₹ 6.075 per kWh under a 25-year agreement with the state utility.

But for villagers, the immediate reality is loss and uncertainty. “They say jobs will come, but what about the land we have already lost? What about our farming? Nobody answers that,” a resident asked.

Neither the state government nor Adani Power has publicly addressed the allegations over the Re 1 lease or coercion so far.

Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera claimed that land in Pirpainti, along with nearly 10 lakh trees, had been allotted to Adani for setting up a 2,400-MW power plant. According to him, the land was given at just one rupee per year for 33 years.

Khera alleged that farmers were pressured to give up their land and that villagers had been kept under restrictions during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bihar to prevent protests. “Whenever the BJP fears losing an election, gifts are handed over to Gautam Adani. This has happened in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, and now in Bihar,” he said.

The Congress leader further alleged that while the project was initially announced in the Union budget as a government venture worth ₹21,400 crore, it was later transferred to Adani. Electricity generated from the plant, he said, would be sold to Bihar at ₹6–6.75 per unit, compared to lower rates in other states. “This is double loot — land from Bihar, money from Bihar, coal from Bihar, but power will be sold back to Bihar at higher rates,” he claimed.