UDA Cracks Down on Illegal Hill Excavation Linked to Industrialist Madan Paliwal’s Firms in Udaipur’s Morwania
Udaipur, Rajasthan — In a major enforcement operation, the Udaipur Development Authority (UDA) has taken strong action against illegal hill excavation in the Morwania region near Ubeshwarji, allegedly linked to companies associated with renowned industrialist Madan Paliwal. The UDA team, under the directives of District Collector Namit Mehta and UDA Commissioner Rahul Jain, seized 10 bulldozers, 10 poclain machines, and 10 dumpers operating at the site—despite Monday being a state holiday.
Massive Illegal Excavation to Construct Artificial Lake Unearthed
The UDA team, accompanied by officials from Badgaon Tehsil, reached Morwania to find extensive hill-cutting activities being carried out by Pearl Real Mart and Aakar Buildstate Pvt Ltd, companies reportedly linked to Madan Paliwal and Mantraj Paliwal. Authorities claim the firms were illegally cutting through hills over several acres of land to build an artificial lake under the guise of developing a tourism unit.
During the raid, active excavation was still ongoing. Officials estimate that lakhs of tonnes of soil and stone have already been extracted, fundamentally altering the natural landscape.
Violation of High Court Orders and Hill Policy
The operation has revealed multiple legal violations, including breach of the Rajasthan High Court’s directives in the Lake Conservation Committee vs. State of Rajasthan case. These orders strictly prohibit hill-cutting activities to preserve the ecological integrity of the Aravallis. Additionally, the state’s Hill Policy was being blatantly flouted, with multi-storey structures under construction on terrain classified as industrial-tourism land.
Tehsildar Dr. Abhinav Sharma, who led the crackdown, confirmed that several individuals on-site were detained and warned, and the entire activity was halted immediately. The officials suspect that the large-scale illegal excavation was aimed at manipulating the topography for commercial gains, which poses serious ecological and legal concerns.
Police Await UDA Report for Legal Action
Commenting on the situation, Udaipur SP Yogesh Goyal said, “If UDA submits an official report, we will act as per the law. Similar action was taken in the past in cases of fraudulent land deeds.” He further added that any offenses found to be in violation of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) or the upcoming Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) will be dealt with firmly.
The UDA team included Naib Tehsildar Ramesh Rajpurohit, RI Gantap Sharma, UDA Patwari Surpalsingh Solanki, and Halka Patwari Kavya Tank, among others.
This high-profile crackdown has triggered renewed discussions on illegal land use, ecological damage, and enforcement of urban development laws, with citizens calling for continued vigilance against unauthorized exploitation of Udaipur’s natural heritage.
