Jaipur: Expressing strong dissatisfaction with the state govt’s non-compliance with a previous order on the matter, the Rajasthan High Court Tuesday ordered the release of water from the Panchana Dam in Karauli district into irrigation canals within 15 days.The deadline for executing the order was in response to the state govt requesting an additional 15 days to comply with the court’s directives.Granting the extra time sought, a bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Manish Sharma warned that the Karauli district collector and other officials concerned would be required to personally appear before the court on July 27 if the deadline was not met.The high court had previously ordered the release of water from the dam in 2020, and again in April-May last year, but the govt failed to execute the court’s directives.The proceedings in this case stem from a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by MLA Ramkesh Meena and others, who argue that water from the dam was consistently released into irrigation canals from 1987 until 2005.Appearing for the petitioners, counsel Saransh Saini said water release was halted post the Gurjar quota agitation of 2006, leaving farmers in 35 villages at the tail end of the canal system without irrigation water for nearly two decades.The dispute surrounding the Panchana dam is multifaceted, involving a complex water-sharing agreement between 74 villages in Karauli and Sawai Madhopur districts. Farmers from the command areas in Sawai Madhopur, predominantly from the Meena community, are pleading with the state to comply with the high court’s multiple orders, arguing that the lack of water is severely impacting irrigation and drinking water supplies for nearly 1.25 lakh residents.On the other hand, the Gurjar community, which resides around the dam in Karauli district, contends that water should be allocated first to 39 of their villages due to their higher elevation, which complicates the effectiveness of gravity-fed irrigation systems.
