
Isarda Dam set for first water storage as work wraps up
2
Bhilwara: The Rs 615 crore Isarda Dam project on the Banas River is approaching a significant milestone as officials prepare to store water for the first time, pending state govt's approval.
The project, which is now 95% complete, promises to transform water accessibility for seven cities and 1,256 villages across the Dausa and Sawai Madhopur districts.
Executive engineer Vikas Garg confirmed that preparations are complete to store 3.27 TMC of water in Isarda Dam once the gates of Bisalpur Dam, which has nearly reached its capacity this monsoon season, are opened. "We are fully prepared for the initial water storage phase and are awaiting instructions from the state govt," Garg said.
The dam, featuring 28 gates and a 600-meter concrete structure, is Tonk district's second-largest after Bisalpur Dam. The project includes approximately 5-km of earthen dam construction on both sides and is designed to store up to 10.77 TMC of water at full capacity.
Following the dam's 95% completion, inspections have been carried out by the State Dam Safety team. Currently, officials are waiting for the Central Water Committee of the central govt to conduct their assessment.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years
IC Markets
Learn More
Undo
Despite facing multiple delays and four deadline extensions since its inception in 2013, the project has seen its budget revised from the initial Rs 530 crore to Rs 1,856 crore, including compensation costs. The State Dam Safety Team has already conducted its inspection and the project now awaits final approval from the Centre govt's CW Committee.
The dam is expected to play a crucial role in the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), with future plans including water transfer to Jaipur's Ramgarh Dam. "This infrastructure will significantly impact the region's water security and drinking water availability," added Garg.
The completion of this long-awaited project marks a significant step forward in Rajasthan's water management infrastructure, promising improved water security for millions of residents in the region.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Economic Times
15 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Tata Consumer Products posts 10% jump in Q1 PAT driven by tea, salt sales
Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL) on Wednesday reported a 9.8% year-on-year (yoy) jump in its consolidated revenue from operations at Rs 4778.91 crore for the first quarter ending June, while net profit grew by 10.2% yoy at Rs 346.44 crore in the period under review. ADVERTISEMENT The manufacturer of Tata Tea and Tata Salt said the India business recorded double digit growth in the quarter driven by the tea and salt categories, while the ready to drink business volume growth was impacted by unseasonal rains. The company's international business grew 5% at constant currency revenue growth. TCPL's standalone revenue from operations increased by 10% yoy during the quarter to Rs 3529 crore, while net profit after taxes grew by 285.9% to Rs 713.9 crore. The company said the significantly high growth in net profit is due to dividend income of Rs 464 crore received from its overseas subsidiaries. The company's managing director Sunil D'Souza told analysts on Wednesday that tea price right now is 13-15% below last year and he does not expect it to trend lower. 'Coffee, while trending downwards, is not a uniform trend, there is still a bit of volatility there that we need to manage,' he said. D'Souza further said while TCPL is still a relatively small player in coffee, there was 33% growth in terms of volume and 67% in terms of value during the Wednesday, TCPL closed at Rs 1064 per share at the NSE, down 1.92% from the previous closing company's joint venture with international coffee chain Starbucks added six net new stores during the quarter taking the total Starbucks store count to 485 across 80 cities. ADVERTISEMENT TCPL said there was a 6% revenue growth for Tata Starbucks during the quarter and positive same store sales growth except in May when 'the regional geopolitical tensions flared up and impacted store operating hours in specific geographies'. (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)


Indian Express
15 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Hindustan Zinc pays out as dividend more than it earns, alleges US research firm Viceroy
US-based Viceroy Research has alleged that Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL), belonging to the Vedanta group led by Anil Agarwal, has paid out far more in dividends than it earned, purportedly borrowing to make up the shortfall. The research house has estimated a shortfall in free cash flow (FCF) of HZL — once a public sector firm — in the first quarter ended June 2025 to be around Rs 3,600 crore ($371m). 'HZL CFO Sandeep Modi's 'Rs 10,000 crore ($1.17b) free cash flow' claim collapses under scrutiny. Cash flows are subsidized by debt. If HZL's dividend remains the same as last year, we estimate HZL will incur an annual FCF shortfall of at least Rs 5,000 crore ($580m) and must be funded by more debt,' it said. When contacted, HZL spokesperson said. 'the Viceroy report is a combination of selective misinformation and baseless allegations. All resolutions are detailed and part of Board undertakings which are taken to them after rigorous due diligence. In the past 20 years the company's zinc production capacity has grown more than 4 times and silver by 20 times.' 'Hindustan Zinc is steered through a stringent governance framework wherein all matters are taken to the Board and this process is followed for all proposals,' HZL said. Viceroy alleged that HZL has not generated Rs 10,000 crore in FCF since 2023, at which point FCF has fallen sequentially. On an annualized run rate: we expect HZL FCF at Rs 7,000 crore. In FY 23, during a short commodities rally post covid, HZL generated Rs 12,000 crore FCF, and paid Rs 31,000 crore in dividends, accruing an enormous deficit. Leverage increased sharply vs Q1 2024, with the debt-equity ratio rising from 0.8x to 1.2x. FCF represents the amount of cash a business generates after accounting for capital expenditures needed to maintain or expand its asset base. In simpler terms, it's the cash left over after a company pays for its operating expenses and investments in equipment, property, or other assets. Vedanta acquired HZL from the government in 2002. Disclosures suggest HZL incurred Rs 2,000 crore ($232m) of new debt in the June quarter of FY26. HZL's auditor, SR Batliboi, failed to investigate material concerns, relying entirely on management assertions while the company's capital base deteriorated and governance collapsed, Viceroy alleged. HZL spokesperson said it has become the world's largest integrated zinc producer and is amongst the top 5 primary silver producers. 'It has created immense stakeholder value through increase in market cap by more than 500 times, in addition to dividends to shareholders and exchequer contribution. HZL contributes nearly 35 percent of the declared dividend to the government treasury, including dividend to government and tax deducted at source (TDS),' he said. According to HZL, this quarter amidst commodity headwinds the company delivered beyond market expectations and registered record high first quarter mined metal production and lowest cost of production. In FY25, the company clocked its second-best profit, up 33% YoY. Hindustan Zinc's bank facilities and debt programmes are Crisil AAA rated highlighting our efficient & integrated operations, and strong financial risk profile. And this consistent performance reflects the growing trust of our stakeholders, HZL said. The research firm also questioned the brand fees paid out by HZL. In the earnings call, HZL's CEO Arun Misra 'credited offshore brand fees (paid in advance) as justifiable by past 'risks' undertaken by Vedanta as a shareholder of HZL. This is preposterous,' the research firm said. 'HZL CEO Arun Misra's defense of the controversial 3 per cent brand fee, a fee that results in hundreds of crores in annual payments to VRL (Vedanta Resources), was the centrepiece of his narrative during the Q1FY26 Earnings Call,' the US firm said. 'We reiterate our belief that this 'brand fee' is an uncommercial contract with VEDL (Vedanta Ltd), who does not appear to provide any brand, management, or other auxiliary services to HZL. There are no employees or substantial operations at VRL to justify brand fee payments,' Viceroy said. 'Vedanta's shares in HZL bear the same risk as every other equity holder, including the government of India. If anything, it is the non-promoter shareholders that have borne the outsized risk of HZL taking outsized loans to bail out promoters,' it alleged. HZL said 'Vedanta' is a prominent global brand in the natural resources sector and the brand is a registered intellectual property of Vedanta Resources. 'HZL and other group companies use the brand under a brand license/sub-license agreement and pay a Board-approved brand and strategic services fee for its usage. This structure reflects a standard intercompany licensing model used globally by diversified groups and is fully compliant with Indian accounting, tax and governance regulations, and follows internationally accepted practices,' HZL spokesperson said.


Hans India
15 minutes ago
- Hans India
Maha housing policy sets ambitious target of construction of 35 lakh houses
Mumbai: In a serious bid to pursue its vision of 'My House, My Right', by 2030, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday released a government resolution on the Housing Policy 2025. The government, which expects an investment of Rs 70,000 crore during the implementation of this ambitious housing policy, proposes to construct 35 lakh houses in five years. Further, the government plans to increase the size of MahaAwas Fund to Rs 20,000 crore. The ultimate target is to build 50 lakh houses in the next 10 years. To achieve this ambitious target, existing provisions under the Development Control and Promotion Regulations/Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations and relevant institutional frameworks will be strengthened and modified as needed. Additionally, active participation from the private sector will be promoted through a range of incentive-based measures. The government proposes to carry out a comprehensive programme for slum rehabilitation and redevelopment. The specific needs of low-income earners, senior citizens, women, industrial workers and students will be given priority consideration in the policy. The district land banks of the government and semi-government lands will be created. The state-level portal will soon be developed for providing information on housing development through government-private sector partnership, through developers and also through state-run undertakings. The policy, which focuses on housing for all, also aims to achieve a slum-free state by laying emphasis on the economically weaker sections (EWS), lower income group (LIG) and middle income group (MIG) segments of the policy. The policy proposes affordable housing initiatives, redevelopment of old buildings to improve living conditions and optimise land use and transforming slums through public-private partnerships. It promotes inclusive housing by capturing resources created by the private market, integrated townships that offer affordable housing with essential services, and industrial workers' housing to ensure proximity to workplaces. Affordable housing has been given infrastructure status. This enables the developers to avail of External Commercial Borrowing (ECB), Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for their projects. It is also a sector eligible for Priority Sector Lending (PSL) from Banks and HFCs. On the concept of Walk to Work, around 10 per cent to 30 per cent land should be reserved for housing in MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) areas. Such land should be handed over to the appropriate authority at the applicable acquisition price, so that authority can create an adequate housing stock in such areas. The authority can also partner with the private industries to provide housing for industrial workers in a PPP model. The policy proposes to reserve 10 per cent to 15 per cent of the land suitable for housing projects adjacent to the ambitious infrastructure projects (adjacent to Samruddhi Highway, Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor). The policy focuses on green building initiatives to promote sustainable development through eco-friendly practices and certifications. To ensure inclusive development, the policy also attempts to address affordable housing for other vulnerable groups such as senior citizens, working women, students, Project Affected Persons (PAPs) and migrant workers. Senior citizen housing addresses unique safety and accessibility needs, and community support, and housing for students and working women ensures safety and affordability. Project-Affected Persons (PAP) housing provides solutions for those displaced by development projects. Affordable rental housing schemes cater to transient populations, including migrant workers and students. Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC) scheme under PMAY and rental housing projects under other state schemes will be leveraged to provide rental housing for migrant industrial workers. Amid burgeoning challenges due to climate change, the policy advocates the construction of resilient housing towards climate change mitigation and adaptation. Such housing is designed to minimise damage, reduce vulnerability and reduce the impacts of adverse weather conditions. The policy proposes a slew of incentives including single window clearance, 1 per cent GST, floor space index (FSI) up to 2.5 per cent, commercial use permitted up to 10 per cent of utilised FSI, concession in development changes, waiver of Registration and Stamp Duty charges to the operators, reduced Property Tax for first ten years of operation and 100 per cent deduction on the profit of operating student housing. In case of slum rehabilitation schemes on public land, the slum rehabilitation schemes can be implemented in a Joint Venture (JV) by setting up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and adopting the Dharavi model of 20:80. For this purpose, the initiative will require the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) to set up a special purpose company in which the SRA should hold a 20 per cent stake with voting rights. In order to promote adoption of new and innovative construction technologies and cost-effective, environment-friendly, locally available and disaster-resilient construction materials, the government has offered sops including income tax deductions on expenses on innovative construction technology, reduced GST on materials and a technology innovation grant. In order to promote construction finance, the government proposes to set up state state-level distressed asset fund, an amnesty scheme and interest-free loans. In addition, a state-level constitution fund will be set up to support affordable housing and housing projects by public authorities, public-private partnerships, as well as projects by private developers.