Jaipur: Taking a stern view of the deteriorating condition of Jaipur’s Ramgarh Dam, Rajasthan High Court Thursday directed the state govt to remove all anicuts from the dam’s natural flow area and make efforts to restore the reservoir and its feeder rivers to their original natural course.The court has sought a detailed affidavit from the state govt on encroachments removed from the dam’s catchment area and the identity of those occupying the land.The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Bhuvan Goyal passed the directions while hearing a suo motu public interest matter concerning encroachments in Ramgarh Dam and other water bodies across Rajasthan. The next hearing has been fixed for Aug 13.“There should be no submersible structures or anicuts in the natural flow area of the dam, as they obstruct the movement of water into the reservoir,” the bench said.The court has directed the district collectors of Jaipur and Kotputli-Behror to submit reports explaining why the rivers feeding Ramgarh Dam are no longer carrying adequate water to the reservoir. During the hearing, Jaipur district collector appeared through video conferencing in compliance with earlier directions.Advocate General Rajendra Prasad placed on record an affidavit filed by Amer SDM stating that out of 625 references relating to encroachments, 404 have been disposed of, while the remaining cases are still pending. “The land involved in the disposed-of matters has already been recorded in the name of the state govt,” he submitted.The state further submitted that two committees constituted to monitor the Ramgarh Dam issue have held 14 and 17 meetings, respectively.However, the bench expressed dissatisfaction with the response, remarking, “What happens in these meetings? You only have tea and biscuits.”The judges said they were not satisfied with the affidavit and directed the state govt to file a comprehensive report indicating the exact number of encroachments removed, the names of the encroachers, and details of farmhouses, hotels, resorts and other establishments located within the catchment and flow areas.Amicus Curiae Abhinav Sharma submitted that Banganga River, the principal source of water for Ramgarh Dam, flows through Viratnagar, Shahpura and adjoining areas before reaching the reservoir. “The farmhouses, resorts and hotels constructed along the river’s flow path, coupled with silt accumulation behind numerous anicuts, have severely obstructed the natural flow of water into the dam,” Sharma said.
