33 Structures Face Bulldozer Action in Shimla as High Court Cracks Down on Forest, Municipal Land Encroachments
Shimla, September 14: As many as 33 structures in Bangala Colony, Sanjauli, are now facing demolition. The Himachal Pradesh High Court has ordered removal of these encroachments on forest and MC land.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin C. Negi, in its September 10, 2026 order, directed authorities to move ahead with the removal of 23 structures illegally raised on 822.52 square metres of forest land and ordered the Municipal Corporation, Shimla to take steps to demolish its own Ward Office and restore the site.
Another 10 structures identified on Municipal Corporation land are also to face proceedings for their removal in accordance with law.
The case began with a citizen's complaint alleging illegal construction, encroachment, damage to deodar trees, obstruction of public pathways and discharge of wastewater in the Bangala Colony area.
A Court-directed inspection by the District Legal Services Authority subsequently found around 30 houses and sheds, including cemented and double-storeyed structures. The inspection recorded construction and drains touching deodar trees, narrowed public pathways, wastewater flowing onto a public path and garbage accumulation.
Revenue demarcation later established the extent of the encroachments.
The Forest Department reported 23 illegal structures on forest land, affecting approximately 21 trees. It also informed the Court that encroachment proceedings had been initiated before the Collector-cum-DFO, Shimla Urban.
Municipal Corporation's own Ward Office under scanner
The most striking finding concerned a double-storeyed Municipal Corporation Ward Office on Khasra No. 464.
The land was among seven khasra numbers transferred from the Municipal Corporation to the Forest Department through a Government notification dated October 15, 2013.
The Corporation admitted before the High Court that there was no sanctioned building plan for the Ward Office.
Construction was carried out in 2014 at a cost of ₹4.18 lakh, followed by additional works involving several lakh rupees.
The High Court, while dealing with the issue, asked the pointed question:
“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” — “Who will guard the guards?”
The Court directed the Municipal Corporation to take steps to demolish the Ward Office and restore the land to its original condition. It also ordered that responsibility be fixed upon the officers and officials responsible for the construction.
Revenue records also ordered to be corrected
The Court further directed that the forest land transferred under the 2013 notification be mutated in favour of the Forest Department, addressing a long-pending discrepancy in the revenue records.
The case is now listed for compliance on November 17, 2026.
With 23 structures on forest land and 10 on municipal land, a total of 33 structures have come under the Court's directions for removal-related action.
What began as a citizen's complaint has thus evolved into a wider test of environmental enforcement and municipal accountability—with the authority responsible for regulating construction itself being ordered to remove its own unauthorised building.
