Farmers' Stir Suspended After Ministerial Talks, But Land Ownership Dispute Still Simmering in Himachal
Shimla – The simmering anger of farmers and apple growers across Himachal Pradesh took a pause but not a full stop. On Sunday, the Himachal Seb Utpadak Sangh and the Himachal Kisan Sabha suspended their agitation after a crucial meeting with Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi.
But the contentious issue at the heart of the unrest — forest-tagged land in revenue villages — remains unresolved.
During the meeting, farmer representatives strongly objected to the classification of lands — recorded in individuals’ names in village revenue records — as forest land.
They cited Supreme Court rulings, which mandate proper demarcation and due legal process before initiating any eviction.
They demanded that the government stop all forced evictions until land ownership titles are settled and also asked for proactive legal defence by the state in all pending court cases involving orchardists and farmers.
“Why are we being evicted from our own land in the name of forests?”
Former MLA and veteran farmer leader Rakesh Singha didn’t mince words. Speaking to media after the meeting, he said:
"No eviction should be carried out unless the state first resolves the long-standing issue of land titles. Himachal is the only state in India that cannot legally allot land to its own people left landless or homeless due to natural disasters because the land is labelled ‘forest’ under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980."
Singha went on to slam successive state governments for their “casual” handling of this anomaly for over four decades.
“It’s high time the Centre seriously amends the Forest Act to allow for human development and the legitimate settlement of disaster-affected families in Himachal,” he said.
Government Promises Support — Hopes for a Conclusive Resolution
Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi assured the delegation that the state government stands firmly with farmers and horticulturists.
He said the government is committed to safeguarding their rights and that a high-level meeting led by Additional Chief Secretary (Forest and Revenue) Kamlesh Kumar Pant will soon be convened to examine each concern in depth.
Importantly, Negi expressed hope that this round of discussions will not be another formality but lead to a conclusive outcome. The promise this time, he emphasized, is not just to talk but to resolve.
The meeting was attended by MLA Harish Janartha, Sanyukt Kisan Manch Convener Harish Chauhan, Kisan Sabha President Kuldeep Tanwar, and Seb Utpadak Sangh President Sohan Thakur, among other senior officials.
The Bigger Question: Can Humans and Forests Coexist?
This episode has once again brought to the fore a decades-old paradox: vast stretches of land in Himachal, where people have been living for generations, are deemed “forest” under the law — leaving them vulnerable to eviction and without ownership rights due to encroachments in and around their land.
There are also concerns raised by by those who point out cases where vast chunks of forest land are grabbed by certain greeddy encroachers. The greed and need must be weighed in all such cases, they say.
The agitation may have been paused, but if the government fails to act decisively this time, the discontent is bound to flare up again — stronger and louder.
#ForestLandDispute #HimachalFarmers #RightToLand #ForestAct1980
