Shimla, Jul 29 (PTI) Hundreds of apple growers staged a dharna and demonstration on Tuesday outside the state secretariat to protest against eviction of encroachments and felling of apple-laden trees on forest and government lands.
The farmers under the banner of Himachal Kisan Sabha and Seb Utpadak Sangh (apple growers union) gathered outside the secretariat and crossed the barriers resulting in huge traffic jams.
Protesters warned they would keep fighting for their demand of regularising small encroachments.
The protest came a day after the Supreme Court stayed a high court order directing the removal of fruit-bearing orchards from encroached forest lands.
Addressing the demonstrators, senior state CPI(M) leader and former MLA, Rakesh Singha warned that the farmers would launch a prolonged agitation if the lands of small encroachers fulfilled.
He blamed the government for not implementing the previous orders of the Supreme Court and high court against evictions.
Citing the Babu Ram vs State of Himachal Pradesh, 2024 case, Singha said the Supreme Court had said the “eviction by the collector without the speaking order and non-recording of statements of the witnesses was beyond the parameters of natural justice”.
“Why the Section 163(A) of The Himachal Land Revenue Act, dealing with regularisation of government land, including the forest lands under specific circumstances was not implemented by the government”, Singha said.
He added that poor, below poverty line (BPL) individuals and widows are being oppressed and evicted from the encroached lands and thanked the Supreme Court for putting a stay on the eviction process.
Singha alleged that eight Dalit families are living in Nagrota Suriyana in Kangra district after their houses were locked, saying there were more such cases.
“The government is targeting the poor farmers. Why would I come here if the government gives me five bigha land,” Kundal Lal from Rohru said, adding that since he was unemployed, he is totally dependent on a small landholding.
“The government is taking back the land taken by our forefathers and we are protesting against it and demanding five bighas of land so that we could survive,” said Krishna Devi from Poanta Sahib.
Our trees are being axed and houses are locked, said another farmer, Joginder Singh.
Later Singha along with other farmer leaders met the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh and referred to earlier Supreme Court and high court directions and demanded regularisation of encroachments under Section 163(A) of The Himachal Land Revenue Act.
The CM assured the delegation that their demands would be considered sympathetically. He reiterated the state government’s commitment to stand with farmers and apple growers. “The government has already approached the Supreme Court seeking relief for them,” he said.
In a statement issued here, Sukhu assured that no tree felling would be allowed following the apex court’s stay order, and directed the forest department to conduct an inquiry into the reports of tree felling in Karsog and Kullu valleys after the court’s directive.
The chief minister also said that he would raise the issue with the Union environment minister and the state government would formulate a policy in consultation with all stakeholders to address the concerns of the apple growers.
Sukhu said the state has urged the Union government to allow the allocation of 1-5 bighas of land for the rehabilitation of disaster-affected families, who have been rendered landless. With 68 per cent of the state under forest cover, he emphasised the need to relax forest norms to facilitate rehabilitation.
All the BJP MPs from the state have been requested to pursue this matter with the Union government, he added.
In a relief to apple growers in Himachal Pradesh, the Supreme Court on Monday stayed a high court order directing the removal of fruit-bearing orchards from encroached forest lands. PTI COR BPL SHS SHS SKY SKY
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