Himachal apple growers stage demonstration against ‘eviction’ drive after SC stays tree felling
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.
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Apple trees felled in Chaithla village of Himachal Pradesh, following the court’s orderHundreds 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. 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.
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