By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 14 Jun: A major attempt at illegal land encroachment has been thwarted in the Khalanga forest area of Dehradun district, falling under the Mussoorie forest range. The incident has triggered widespread public outrage and calls for stringent action against the perpetrators as well as against officials alleged to be complicit through their inaction. In fact, initially, the forest officials appeared hesitant to take any action even when contracted by journalist Deepshikha Rawat Verma and it was only after the video posted by her went viral and was shared by other people and media persons late Friday evening.
The encroachment came to light when a Haryana-based individual, Anil Sharma, fenced off approximately 40 bighas of forest land near Halduaam on the Khalanga road and installed a large gate, reportedly with the intention of establishing a private camping site there. When confronted by a local journalist Deepshikha Rawat who does not live very far from the place, Sharma claimed to have taken the land on lease from one Ashok Agrawal, a resident of Rishikesh, but failed to produce any supporting legal documents or building plans. Alarmingly, the area in question is a protected forest tract with old-growth Sal trees, some of which are believed by local villagers and forest activists to be thousands of years old.
Rawat posted a video of the fencing operation, in which she is also seen courageously confronting a man at the site, rapidly circulated on social media platforms and prompted public concern. The video clearly depicted the fenced boundary and gate installed deep within the reserved forest, reigniting anxieties over unchecked land mafias operating in the region under bureaucratic indifference.
Initially, the local Forest Department team visited the site and reportedly termed the land as private, only instructing the individual not to expand the encroachment further or damage the surrounding forest. This team dismissed the claims of the locals who had gathered there that the land in question was part of the protected forest. However, given the location deep within notified forest boundaries, the claim of private ownership was viewed with scepticism by both residents and environmental experts. As outrage mounted, the Forest Department was compelled to revisit the site under public pressure. The illegal gate and barricading were subsequently dismantled, and encroachment activities halted.
In fact, the turning point in the case, came when senior journalist Deepshikha Rawat Verma’s post and field reportage highlighting the illegal activity went viral and was shared by many others. Until then, neither the Forest Department nor the district administration had shown any visible response to the growing complaints from locals. Following the heightened media scrutiny, senior officials of the Forest Department finally intervened and acknowledged the illegal construction.
Locals and Forest Rights activists are now vociferously demanding that a First Information Report be lodged against those involved in the encroachment attempt and that government officials who allegedly failed to act in time be either transferred or suspended. They argue that this is not an isolated case, but part of a larger pattern of forest land being quietly usurped in the guise of private ownership, with the active connivance or wilful neglect of those entrusted with its protection.
Speaking to Garhwal Post, Deepshikha Rawat confirmed that this morning, DFO Mussoorie Range, Amit Kanwar visited the site and assured action and promised that no encroachment would be allowed in the area by anyone. While at present, the construction work and the fencing work has been stopped by Forest Department, it remains to be seen, if yet another attempt is made by the land mafia to again encroach this forest area in near future or whether the forest department remains alert and committed not to let this happen.
It may be recalled that the Khalanga forest, where the incident occurred, is historically significant and ecologically rich. It is located near the Khalanga War Memorial, which commemorates the valour of Gorkha soldiers who fought against British forces during the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814. The surrounding forest is home to diverse flora and fauna and forms an important part of the Dehradun valley’s green belt. Over the years, Khalanga has faced mounting pressure from both illegal construction and unregulated tourism, making this latest encroachment attempt particularly alarming.
Environmentalists stress that the incident must serve as a wake-up call for the state government to adopt stricter measures for monitoring forest boundaries and preventing unauthorised activities. They also insist on an immediate review of land lease claims in forest zones, digital mapping of encroachment-prone areas, and public transparency in land-use decisions.
