About 2,943 hectares of land in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan has been earmarked for compensatory allocation to secure forest and wildlife clearances for major irrigation projects, including the Dewas project in Udaipur.

The identified land includes 1,970.16 hectares in Bida village and 972.87 hectares in Phaledi village, near the Sudasari Desert Sanctuary in Sam tehsil. The allocation follows directions from a high-level meeting chaired by the State Chief Secretary on July 3. Officials have outlined the need for detailed documentation, including marking the land on revenue maps, noting existing pathways and water structures, providing GPS coordinates, and identifying previously allotted forest land. A team of local revenue officials, led by the tehsil administration, has been tasked with preparing the required report.

The forest department recently granted the long-pending No Objection Certificate for the Dewas III and IV dam projects in Udaipur, nearly two years after delays due to lack of compensatory land. The Rs 1,691 crore project aims to secure Udaipur’s future drinking water supply, requiring offsetting forest land with equivalent non-forest land.