Jaipur: Rajasthan govt has, for the first time, invoked the Rajasthan Public Demands Recovery (RPDR) Act, 1952, to recover penalties from businessmen accused of taking illegal water connections and damaging Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) pipelines in Barmer.District collector Chinmayee Gopal issued recovery orders against two businessmen for a case of theft discovered in 2023. The have been directed to pay Rs 3.97 lakh each, along with interest, after they failed to deposit penalties imposed by PHED engineers.PHED officials said RPDR Act allows district collector to initiate recovery proceedings when a person does not pay fines imposed for illegal connections. Engineers had rarely used this route because of a lengthy process and coordination with district administrations.“Issuing notices under this Act can be considered an all-time solution. Defaulters booked under this Act are restricted from property transactions and all govt schemes and procedures, including issuance of Jan Aadhaar and police verification for passports,” stated a PHED official.TOI, on Feb 22, 2026, had reported that Barmer DC Gopal had issued RPDR recovery notices against eight Barmer businessmen for illegally using drinking water from Indira Gandhi Canal Project. Officials said one of them used the water to run a hotel, five diverted it to irrigate cumin fields, and two used it in bentonite factories. Two were also accused of selling water through tankers.Collectorate officials said two of the eight defaulters appeared for hearing and alleged that PHED engineers had acted against them due to animosity. After hearing both sides, the collector ruled in favour of PHED and ordered the two to clear penalty with interest immediately. An official stated that their govt-linked services and scheme benefits will remain suspended until payment is made. Appeals by the remaining six defaulters are still pending.“In water-scarce Rajasthan, every drop matters. After Barmer, notices under the RPDR Act in Balotra and Jodhpur will ensure hefty fines are recovered for public welfare and promote accountability statewide,” stated PHED chief engineer (headquarters, urban and NRW) Devraj Solanki.
