Alwar-Bharatpur-Chambal drinking water project stalls over Forest NOC, land acquisition delays and pending financial approvals for 822 villages.
A major drinking water scheme intended to serve thousands of families across 822 villages in Alwar district has ground to a halt yet again. Delays in obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Forest Department, alongside stalled land acquisition proceedings and pending financial approvals, have collectively prevented the Alwar-Bharatpur-Chambal Drinking Water Project from moving forward. To compound matters, authorities will now be required to restart the tendering process from scratch, pushing the dream of Chambal river water reaching Alwar even further into the distance.
Under the project, water is to be supplied to areas within the old Alwar district, including Ramgarh, Bahrod, Neemrana, Mandhan, Khairthal-Tijara, Kishangarhbas, Harsoli, Kotkasim, and Mundawar. The scheme is widely regarded as a long-term solution to the district's steadily declining groundwater levels and growing drinking water crisis. Land acquisition has been proposed at 122 locations across the old Alwar district, where overhead storage reservoirs and pump houses are to be constructed to supply water to villages and towns. However, the acquisition process has been sluggish; it currently remains pending at the District Collector level. To date, land acquisition has been completed only in the Bhiwadi area, whilst numerous proposals relating to Ramgarh, Kotputli-Bahrod, and Khairthal-Tijara await approval.
Forest Department NOC Remains a Major Obstacle
Whilst NOCs from the Public Works Department, gram panchayats, and urban local bodies have already been secured, clearance from the Forest Department is yet to be granted. Technical discrepancies between revenue records and GPS-based maps are reportedly at the root of the problem. A mismatch between land records uploaded by revenue officials (patwaris) and the Forest Department's own digital records has caused files to remain stuck in limbo.
Financial Approvals and Tender Process Also at a Standstill
The project has suffered a further setback on the financial front. Pre-qualification documents prepared by the department have not received approval from the Area Finance Committee. In addition, final consent from the Rajasthan Water Infrastructure Corporation is still awaited in respect of Net Present Value (NPV) transactions and other financial obligations. As a result, authorities are now preparing to revise the tender documentation and issue a fresh tender.
Three-Year Completion Target in Doubt
According to the project's Detailed Project Report (DPR), construction is to be completed within three years of work commencing. However, no construction has begun thus far. Ongoing delays in administrative approvals and technical processes continue to push the project's timeline further back.
Bharatpur Gets Relief; Alwar Waits
In the first phase of the project, Chambal water has already been delivered to several areas within the Bharatpur division, including Nagar and Deeg, bringing much-needed relief to residents there. The people of Alwar now wait in hope for similar respite — though, for the time being, that wait appears set to be a long one.