MP HC issues notices to govt, Gwalior collector over encroachment on dams

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued show cause notices to principal secretary of the water resources department Rajesh Rajoura, collector Gwalior Ruchika Chauhan, and commissioner of the Gwalior municipal corporation Aman Vaishnav, while hearing a contempt petition over persistent encroachment issues affecting several dams around Gwalior city. Action was taken by the Gwalior bench. The court has expressed concern over their failure to act on its previous order to clear encroachments from the dams.The petition, filed by Mahesh Banbaria, a resident of Baijal Kothi Murar, highlighted that on February 25, 2019, the high court had directed the removal of encroachments from seven major dams — Raipur Tal, Mama Ka Tal, Veerpur Dam, Hanuman Dam, Ramua Dam, and Jaderua Dam. These dams, which historically stored rainwater for Gwalior, have seen no progress in clearing encroachments despite the order being in place for nearly five years. Instead, the encroachments have worsened, preventing effective rainwater collection.Advocate Awdesh Bhadoria, representing the petitioner, argued that the govt had previously compensated farmers in 1987 for land acquired for the Alapur Dam's submerged area. However, due to alleged collusion among water resources department officials, this land remains occupied by farmers who continue to cultivate it.The petition further pointed out that Gwalior city is on the brink of a water crisis, with drinking water supplied to residents on alternate days and many borewells running dry. Encroachments by 400 to 500 permanent and temporary occupants in the dams' storage and catchment areas are exacerbating the situation. The encroachers have even damaged dam gates, causing rainwater to flow away instead of being collected. Additionally, land mafias have developed colonies on dam lands, further reducing water levels.The high court stressed the public interest aspect of the case, noting that failure to protect these water sources could lead to severe water shortages in the future, says Bhadoria. The court emphasised the need for urgent and comprehensive action to address the encroachment issues and safeguard the dams.