SHIMLA, July 13 –
A storm is brewing in Himachal’s apple belt — not from the skies, but from simmering rage on the ground.
Former Theog MLA and senior CPI(M) leader Rakesh Singha has openly taken on the state government after official teams from revenue, forest and policy axed hundreds of apple trees across Shimla, Kullu, citing High Court orders.
The cutting down of apple trees is unacceptable, he asserted.
In a viral social media video, an emotional and visibly agitated Singha accused the Sukhu-led Congress government of mercilessly trampling on the rights and dignity of apple farmers — not once, but for the second time in recent time.
“This isn’t just about trees, this is about the soul of Himachal,” he said. “We treat our orchards like family. Cutting them just ahead of harvest, in the name of legality, is an inhuman act.”
Calling it a systemic failure and selective action, Singha questioned why the government rushed to fell trees in small family orchards, many of which had existed for decades, without first ensuring proper regularisation or policy protection under the Forest Rights Act.
“When the Punjab government can regularise cultivated forest land, why can’t Himachal do the same?” he asked. “People have lived, farmed, and survived on these lands for generations. These are not encroachments — they are livelihoods.”
He reminded the public that earlier governments, too, had moved resolutions in the Vidhan Sabha to regularise up to 10 bighas of occupied forest land.
“Even that hasn’t been signed into law. Why punish poor orchardists for your legislative backlog?” he demanded.
Singha alleged that the action smacks of double standards — while powerful interests get protection and time, small farmers get bulldozed.
“This is not governance. This is a betrayal,” he said.
In the video, Singha recounted emotional scenes from villages like Sarahan, Bada Gaon and Chaithla, where healthy apple trees, full of fruit, were felled overnight.
“You chose a public holiday. You knew people couldn’t resist. What kind of rule of law is this — where people’s blood and sweat is wiped out with a single axe?” he said.
He warned the government that this fresh wound will not heal easily, and announced that a major protest plan and legal roadmap will be declared at a press conference tomorrow at 12 noon in Shimla.
The Himachal Seb Utpadak Sangh, which he heads, has begun consultations with legal experts, farmers’ groups and civil society to mount a united resistance.
“Let it be clear — this is not the end. It’s just the beginning,” Singha said.
He concluded with a sharp message to the ruling Congress:
“You’ve poked the spirit of the hill farmer — the same people who voted you in. If you don’t stop this injustice, it won’t be forgotten come election time.”
As the video circulates widely, phone calls have flooded farmer union offices and social media platforms, reflecting a wave of unrest.
The silence in the orchards is now turning into anger — and a storm might just be on the horizon.
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