Jaipur: The state govt Thursday informed Rajasthan High Court that water would be brought from Isarda Dam to Ramgarh Dam through a 105-km-long pipeline as part of a project aimed at reviving the once-important water source of Jaipur.The govt told the court that the project is expected to be completed by 2028 and the water supplied through it will be used for drinking purposes.Advocate general Rajendra Prasad, referring to the water resources department’s project, placed the proposal before a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Bhuvan Goyal.The govt said the original plan was to carry water from Isarda Dam through an open channel. However, it was subsequently revised amid apprehensions that water could be obstructed or diverted along the route. “It has now been decided to transport water through a pipeline,” Prasad told the court.The bench directed the advocate general to file an affidavit on behalf of all departments concerned, explaining how water would be brought into Ramgarh Dam. The court also sought details of the number of references made before the Board of Revenue and their present status.The directions were issued in a suo motu case concerning encroachments in Ramgarh Dam and other water bodies across Rajasthan. The bench has also exempted officers of the departments concerned from personal appearance and directed the Jaipur district collector to appear through video conferencing on the next date of hearing.The court asked the govt what action was taken against anicuts in the Ramgarh Dam catchment. The AG said anicuts exceeding two metres in height had been removed in compliance with previous directions.Amicus curiae Abhinav Sharma, however, submitted that the Banganga river was the principal source of inflow into Ramgarh Dam, but its flow area continued to have encroachments and anicuts. He pointed out that a 2018 report identified 441 anicuts in the area.The bench directed the AG to submit the affidavit and scheduled the next hearing for Thursday.
