Meeting held with SDMs, DFOs to speed up forest land demarcation process
TNR News Network
Shimla:
Acting on a directive from the Supreme Court, Shimla Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap has asked all Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh to submit the current status report of forest land within a week.
The instruction came during a video conference chaired by the DC with all SDMs and DFOs to review the implementation of the apex court’s orders related to forest land demarcation.
Apple orchardists fear that the orders could affect them too as a large portion of forest land has been encroached upon by residents and apple orchards have been grown over them in Shimla district. Large fruit-bearing apple trees were axed recently in Shimla’s Kotkhai and Jubbal subdivisions.
The meeting focused on the execution of directions passed in writ petition (WP) 1164/2023, under which the Supreme Court has instructed all states and union territories to identify forest lands, reclaim encroached areas and hand over non-forest lands currently held by revenue departments — if allocated for non-forest purposes — to the Forest Department.
Revenue, forest departments working jointly to implement SC order
The DC informed that the Revenue and Forest Departments are working in coordination to implement the Supreme Court’s order across the district. Discussions were held on the practical challenges being faced in the field, particularly staff shortages, which have emerged as a major hurdle in speeding up the land identification process.
To address this, the DC directed all SDMs to prepare area-specific action plans to ensure timely compliance. “Despite staffing constraints, it is crucial that all officials act swiftly and strategically to uphold the court’s instructions,” Kashyap said.
Senior officials participate in strategy meeting
The meeting also saw the presence of Additional District Magistrate (Law & Order) Pankaj Sharma, District Revenue Officer Sanjeet Sharma and all Sub-Divisional Magistrates and DFOs. Detailed discussions were held to streamline coordination between departments and improve the pace of ground-level work.
The DC emphasised that the forest land demarcation process must be carried out in a transparent and time-bound manner, considering the legal sensitivity and environmental importance of the issue.
