The state cabinet recently cleared a proposal to raise funds by selling surplus land lying with three departments of Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyojana (IGNP), Command Area Development (CAD), and Water Resources Department (WRD), said ERCP MD Ravi Solanki.
The ERCP is a Rs 40,000-crore project over which the state and central governments have been wrangling for a long time. Chief minister Ashok Gehlot has demanded that the central government declare it as a national project so that 90% funding can come from the Centre, but New Delhi has not done so yet. The state government is now looking at ways to raise money for the project on its own.
According to official sources, the three departments of IGNP, CAD and WRD have surplus land in many districts, especially in Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Sriganganagar, and Hanumangarh.
In Jaisalmer, officials plan to auction 50 hectares of land on which 50 houses and some two-three office buildings have been built.
On Barmer road, an entire housing colony under the IGNP extension scheme may be sold.
It occupies about 150 bighas of land and has 34 houses already built, although the houses are lying in a dilapidated condition.
There are also 30 bighas of land at two separate places on Barmer road, while about 70 bighas of land and a housing colony has been identified at Asutar area for auction, official sources said.
Solanki said that the process has been started after the proposal was passed by the cabinet.
The MD of ERCP further said the state government will transfer the surplus land lying with different departments to the revenue department, which will sell it to raise money for East Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP).
