Dehradun | June 2025
A major attempt at illegal land encroachment has been thwarted in the Khalanga forest area of Dehradun district, which falls under the Mussoorie Forest Range. The incident has triggered widespread public outrage and strong demands for action against both the perpetrators and government officials who are being accused of complicity through inaction.
The encroachment came to light when a Haryana-based individual, Anil Sharma, fenced off nearly 40 bighas of forest land near Halduaam on the Khalanga Road and installed a large gate, allegedly intending to establish a private camping site. When confronted by local journalist Deepshikha Rawat Verma, Sharma claimed to have leased the land from Ashok Agarwal, a Rishikesh resident. However, Sharma could not produce any supporting legal documents or building permissions.
What raised further alarm is that the land in question is part of a protected forest zone with old-growth Sal trees, some believed by villagers and activists to be thousands of years old.
Rawat posted a video of the fencing and directly confronted individuals at the site. The video went viral on social media late Friday evening, drawing sharp public reactions. Initially, forest officials appeared reluctant to act, even after being contacted by Rawat. It was only after the video gained traction and was shared by the public and other media outlets that officials were forced to respond.
In their initial visit, the Forest Department had shockingly classified the land as private, merely instructing the encroachers not to expand further or damage the forest. This dismissal contradicted the assertions of locals, who were adamant that the land lies deep within the notified forest boundaries. Public pressure forced the department to revisit the site, after which the illegal gate and barricades were dismantled, and the encroachment activities were halted.
The turning point in the case was the viral field reportage by senior journalist Deepshikha Rawat Verma, whose fearless on-ground reporting pushed the matter into the spotlight. Only then did senior officials from the Forest Department begin to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation.
While the illegal construction has now been stopped, activists remain wary that the land mafia might attempt a re-entry if vigilance slips.
The issue is now also under formal investigation. Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal has directed both the Forest Department and the Dehradun District Administration to jointly probe the incident. Notably, Uniyal has instructed officials to determine under whose jurisdiction the land falls, and to initiate action based on the findings.
In a separate but related issue, earlier reports had already alleged that 22 trees were damaged during construction activity in the Khalanga area. Members of the Khalanga Vikas Samiti and other environmentalists staged protests, calling the construction both illegal and ecologically destructive. A case had already been registered against Ashok Agarwal, linking him to unauthorized work in the region.
The Khalanga forest is not only ecologically sensitive but also historically significant, situated near the Khalanga War Memorial, which commemorates Gorkha bravery during the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814. The forest forms a critical part of Dehradun’s green belt, rich in biodiversity, and already under pressure from illegal constructions and unregulated tourism.
Local residents and forest rights activists are now demanding the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) against all individuals involved, along with disciplinary action against complicit officials. They argue this is part of a larger pattern of forest land grabs, often masked as private ownership and facilitated by bureaucratic neglect or collusion.
Environmentalists insist that this incident must serve as a wake-up call for the Uttarakhand government. They are urging for:
- Stricter monitoring of forest zones
- A comprehensive review of all land leases in forested areas
- Digital mapping of encroachment-prone zones
- And public transparency in land-use permissions
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