Doongri dam to affect only 16 villages, govt to provide full rehabilitation: Rajasthan ministers

Jaipur, Nov 21 (PTI) Amid growing resentment among residents of several villages in Karauli and Sawai Madhopur over the proposed Doongri dam in Rajasthan, three ministers on Friday clarified that only 16 villages would be affected by the project.

They refuted claims that more than 70 villages fall in the submergence zone.

Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat, Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena, Water Resources Minister Suresh Singh Rawat and Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh Bedham said that out of these 16 villages, seven will only be partially affected.

"Families facing displacement will be rehabilitated within the same panchayat limits and compensated as per rules," they said.

The ministers said the dam is being built under the revised Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal (PKC) link project. They accused opposition parties and farmer leader Rakesh Tikait of misleading villagers for political gains and said that such misinformation is harming the interest of eastern Rajasthan.

Agriculture Minister Meena said around 5,667 houses across villages including Biloli, Bhuri Pahadi, Taleda, Bhavpur, Doongri, Khidarpur Jadu, Hadoti, Rooppura and Padampura will fall in the impact zone.

"All the affected families will be resettled nearby with full rehabilitation support," he said.

Water Resources Minister Rawat said the project would create nearly 1.25 lakh hectares of new irrigated land -- ”around 71,776 hectares in Karauli district and 53,225 hectares in Sawai Madhopur. A significant area will also be stabilised with assured irrigation, and the region will receive adequate drinking water, he added.

Rawat said the agreement between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh on the PKC-“ERCP project has been public from the beginning and the opposition were given its copies. Yet, false claims are being made as part of a political propaganda campaign, he alleged.

Minister of State for Home Bedham appealed to villagers not to be misled, saying that many of the so-called "affected" villages are already vulnerable to water flow from the Morel and Banas rivers.

"The dam is planned in a way that will help manage floodwaters during heavy rainfall and ensure optimum use of the rivers' flow," he said.

A mahapanchayat was called in the affected area by villagers to discuss the issue. PTI SDA RUK RUK