JODHPUR, Dec. 23 -- The Rajasthan high court has directed the state government to submit a report on the demarcation and removal of encroachments on the historic Umaid Sagar Canal in Jodhpur and the surrounding forest and hilly areas in Jodhpur. The court has also ordered that no further construction work be carried out in the encroached areas. A division bench of justice Dr Pushpendra Singh Bhati and justice Sanjeet Purohit was hearing the matter on Friday. Counsel Divik Mathur, appearing for petitioner Nirvan Seva Sansthan, submitted that the Umaid Sagar Canal, along with adjoining forest and hilly areas, has been illegally encroached upon by land mafias. The petition stated that obstruction of the canal's water flow causes waterlogging during the monsoon and poses a risk of flooding in nearby residential areas. It further said the administration had been informed about the issue several times, but no effective action was taken. Government advocate Ayush Gehlot acknowledged that there were encroachments in the canal area and submitted that necessary steps would be taken to remove them. The division bench granted the respondents four weeks to file a report on the demarcation of the encroachments and the action taken for their removal. In an interim order, the court immediately prohibited any new construction in the encroached areas. The next hearing in the case will be held after four weeks. The petition stated that the Umaid Sagar Canal was constructed in 1933 by Maharaja Umaid Singh, with the primary objective of filling the Umaid Sagar Dam in the Chopasni area and providing a major source of drinking water to residents of Jodhpur city. The reservoir, with a catchment area of approximately 800 bighas, is said to have a capacity of about 348 million cubic feet....