The Madhya Pradesh government has cancelled its land pooling scheme in Ujjain. The plan involved acquiring 2,378 hectares of farmland to build permanent infrastructure for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela. The Urban Development and Housing Department issued an order on Tuesday revoking the scheme fully. This scheme would have affected 5,000 to 8,000 farmer families in 17 villages around Ujjain. The decision follows renewed protests announced by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), a farmer group backed by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The BKS called for a new agitation titled 'dera dalo, ghera dalo' (pitch camp, set siege) starting December 26. They accused the state BJP government of "betraying farmers." Even BJP MLA Anil Jain Kaluhera asked Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to cancel the scheme and warned he might join farmers' protests. The government had earlier changed the scheme on November 17 to keep it only for land used for roads, water, drainage, and sewage, but not for other infrastructure. However, the BKS said this change confused farmers and accused the government of misleading them. They demanded a full rollback. The land pooling scheme started in 2024 aimed to invest ₹2,000 crore to build a permanent Kumbh city. This includes roads, saints’ ashrams, akhadas, electricity, underground drainage, hospitals, and government facilities. Previously, temporary structures were built for the Simhastha Mela, and farmers' lands were acquired only for six months with compensation. The plan was a major push by CM Mohan Yadav to make Ujjain a top pilgrim city but faced farmers' protests and local resistance over the last year. The BKS also held a big tractor rally in September against the scheme. The government expects over 12 crore devotees to attend the Simhastha in 2028, a big jump from over 7 crore in 2016.