Over 228 Forest Encroachment Cases at Standstill Amid Legal Battles in Pune

The majority of encroachment cases were registered last year from Indapur Forest Range (124 cases), followed by Baramati Forest Range (58 cases), Pune Forest Range (20 cases) and the Shirota Forest Range (4 cases). 

30 April 2024

By Payoshi Bisht

The Pune Forest Division registered a total of 340 cases of forest encroachment between March 2023 to March 2024 across the 12 forest ranges that are under its jurisdiction. Out of the total number of cases registered, at least 228 are pending in the courts at various levels, including district courts, high courts and Supreme Court. The remaining 112 cases are under investigation by the range forest officers or assistant conservators of forests. In the past month, at least 8 of these 112 cases have been solved by the forest officer.

Mahadev Mohite, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Pune Forest Division stated that these land areas which were formed before 1980 (Forest Act) have been termed as encroachment lands and until further notice from the Supreme Court, no action shall be taken. As a result, there are a lot of judicial cases pending. The Pune Forest Division is doing everything it can to keep the peace until the court makes the final order. Apart from conducting anti-encroachment drives in various areas, the Forest Division is also taking steps to stop further encroachment on forest land by defining the area. 

There are several types of encroachments on forest land including residential, agricultural and commercial, and in some cases, infrastructure projects, which not only affect the green cover, but also the entire ecosystem in the area. 

Urbanisation, property prices, infrastructure projects and lack of awareness about forest land have all contributed to forest land encroachment in Pune district. While some of these disputes are between forest departments and other departments, most of them are between forest departments and a person or a group of people.