Forest Dept Races to File Report in HC This Week
Shimla, July 14, 2025:
The axe hasn’t stopped swinging in Kotkhai’s Chaithla village. Over 1,500 apple, pear, and peach trees have been cut down in the past few days by the forest department in a massive crackdown on orchard plantations grown on forest land.
This sudden action comes as the department scrambles to file a detailed status report before the Himachal Pradesh High Court later this week.
Under heavy police security and court monitoring, teams led by the SDM, DFO Theog, and DSP Theog launched back-to-back operations since July 12.
In two days flat, they cut nearly 1,229 fruit trees, most of them green apple trees nearing harvest. Another batch of nearly 300 trees met the same fate earlier last week, taking the total beyond 1,500.
This all-out drive is a direct fallout of High Court orders issued on July 2, directing the state to immediately remove all illegal apple orchards from forest land and replant it with native species.
The Court had also warned that non-compliance won’t be taken lightly and fixed a deadline for the forest department to submit a compliance report this week.
To prevent law-and-order issues, the Shimla DC imposed a temporary ban on firearms in Chaithla and nearby areas till July 18. Despite rising tensions, the field teams went ahead under protection.
Not All Are Opposed
Interestingly, the crackdown has drawn support from certain environmental quarters too. HIFORM, a group of conservationists (not registered as an NGO) along with others who preferred to remain unnamed, have backed the eviction drive, calling it a “necessary step to save the deodar-rich forests” of the region.
“These apple orchards weren’t planted by marginal farmers. Many of them are large, wealthy encroachers who have damaged natural ecology.
The native deodars have silently vanished under this green cover of profit,” said a senior conservationist associated with the group.
What’s in the Status Report?
The High Court wants the forest department to explain: How many trees have been cut, Who the encroachers were,How much public money was spent on tree cutting, stump removal, and replanting,
What measures are being taken to stop re-encroachment.
In some cases, the Court has even issued bailable warrants of ₹25,000 against orchardists who tried to block the eviction.
This drive is only the tip of the iceberg. Court-monitored crackdowns have begun across the apple belt — from Kotkhai to Jubbal and Kumarsain — where thousands of hectares of forest land have been under apple for decades.
The Chaithla operation is being seen as a test case, especially as peak apple harvesting season is just weeks away.
Officials say the land will now be reforested using native plants during the monsoon.
"We’re only following the Court’s directions," said a senior forest officer on the condition of anonymity. "We’ll submit a full report in the next few days."
Meanwhile, Farmers Cry Foul
Local farmers and unions have hit out at the government for using bulldozer tactics without giving small orchardists alternative land.
Groups like Seb Utpadak Sangh and Himachal Kisan Sabha have alleged selective action, and even retired apple growers have petitioned the government to adopt a humanitarian approach.
What’s Next?
With the deadline looming and the Court breathing down their necks, the forest department is on overdrive.
After Chaithla, more villages are on the radar. What remains to be seen is whether this action marks the start of genuine forest restoration — or just another season of state vs apple grower standoff.
On the other hand, horticulture and revenue minister Jagat Negi in response to the media queries said that the government action came in response to the high court order. The cases or claims are under Forest Rights Act, 2006 have nothing to with the current action, as FRA has come into force in Himachal, he added, he skipped the query on whether the cutting down of green apple trees are justifiable or not.
