Petition under Forest Rights Act provisions to be filed before May 10
Shimla – Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday announced that the Forest Department will file a review petition in court before May 10, 2025, seeking regularisation of 2,183 roads constructed in violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
The move comes in the wake of mounting concerns over the status of these roads, many of which are vital for local connectivity in remote areas. The Chief Minister, while chairing a high-level meeting of the Forest Department, emphasized the need to pursue legal recourse under the provisions of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, in the interest of the public.
“These roads are crucial for the people living in remote and forested regions. The department must take swift legal steps to regularise them and ensure that essential connectivity is not disrupted,” CM Sukhu said.
The Forest Rights Act, enacted nationally in 2006 and implemented in Himachal Pradesh a decade later in 2016, recognises the rights of forest-dwelling communities who have traditionally depended on forest land for at least three generations.
According to the department’s data, the roads in question were constructed before the FRA came into effect in the state. Of the total 2,183 roads, 613 fall under the Shimla zone, 821 in the Mandi zone, 254 in the Hamirpur zone, and 495 in the Kangra zone.
Officials stated that the review petition will aim to provide legal backing to these roads, many of which are essential for access to health, education, and emergency services in rural areas. The Chief Minister has directed the department to expedite the necessary preparations and file the petition well within the stipulated timeline.
