PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
About 11,383 hectareas of land under the Uttarakhand Forest department is reported as encroached forest land in the State. Out of this, encroachments were removed from about 1,400 hectares under the anti-encroachment drive from April 2023 to March 2025.
The Forest department is also working on an action plan for the removal of encroachments from forest land. This was revealed in the response submitted by the State Forest department during the recent hearing on an application in the National Green Tribunal (NGT).The NGT had taken up the matter following a media report regarding encroachments on forest land in Uttarakhand.
The department also faces various challenges in the execution of the action plan for the removal of encroachments from forest land. When it comes to enforcement, while forest protection laws exist, their effective implementation and enforcement can be inadequate due to factors like inadequate staffing, insufficient funding and improper infrastructure for monitoring and surveillance. The department acknowledges that in some cases, powerful individuals or groups with political connections may be involved in or provide patronage to encroachers, making it difficult for authorities to take impartial action.
Further, instances of corruption and collusion between forest officials and encroachers can facilitate illegal occupation and hinder eviction efforts. This undermines the integrity of forest protection agencies. The department states that the operational plan for the removal of encroachments on forest land is a multi-stage process that prioritises accuracy, legal compliance with the latest Indian Forest Ac 1927 (Uttarakhand Amendment of 2002), and effective execution. The initial and foundational stage involves meticulous mapping and demarcation of the encroached areas. This is no longer a solely manual process but critically leverages modern geospatial technologies to ensure precision and legal defensibility.
Meanwhile, activists opine that even though forests are considered to be the major resource of the State, it appears as if the authorities have continued to adopt an apathetic stance when it comes to protecting this irreplaceable resource. They claim that instances of encroachments on reserved forest land and activities that damage forest resources are not uncommon even in the suburbs of the provisional State capital Dehradun.
