Dispute over forest land delays key development projects in Sirsa

A long-pending land dispute is blocking key development works in Sirsa city. The issue centres around land on both sides of the old National Highway-9 (NH-9), which is currently marked as “Notified forest land”. Due to this classification, the Municipal Council (MC) needs permission from the Forest Department before starting any construction even basic work like laying tiles, installing water pipelines or building roads.

Sirsa MP Kumari Selja has written to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, asking the Central Government to de-notify this land and hand it over to the Municipal Council. In her letter, she stated that the land does not have dense forest or green cover and keeping it under the forest category was blocking urban development. She said this legal requirement caused unnecessary delays and many important projects worth crores were pending in the city.

Selja also urged the minister to remove such forest tags on land in the urban areas, especially along roads, at the policy level. She requested amendments in forest laws to prevent cropping up of such issues in the future, while stating that the matter directly affected public convenience and the quality of the urban life.

Surender Bhatia, secretary, Sirsa Nagrik Parishad, said, “The dispute between the Municipal Council and the Forest Department has been going on for nearly 10 years. Every time construction begins, the Forest Department intervenes and often slaps fines or even files criminal cases. In one such instance in 2017, the department halted tile-laying from Maharana Pratap Chowk to Sangwan Chowk, stating that the work was being carried on protected forest land without prior approval.”

He said, “A major stormwater drainage project has also been stalled. The Municipal Council needs 2.186 hectares of forest land for this project, stretching from the district e-library on Barnala Road to Rangoi Nala. The Forest Department raised serious objections over the project, stating the civic body did not have legal approval to the start work. The department also asked the council to pay Rs 89.34 lakh as compensation, while stating that no work could be initiated without this payment and official clearance through the Central Government’s portal.”

In another case, the Municipal Council had requested allotment of 3.18 acres for widening a road heading from Ambedkar Chowk to Bhatia Colony. But the Forest Department refused permission, stating that Centre’s approval was not granted and mandatory documentation was missing.

The Forest Department has already imposed a fine of

Rs 5.45 lakh on the Municipal Council for unauthorised construction on its land near Dabwali Road. A criminal report has been filed in this connection. The department warned that further legal action would be taken if rules were not followed by the Municipal Council.

The department insisted that until the council provided alternate non-forest land and completed all legal steps, pending projects could not be approved. The department stated that failure to upload required details could lead to cancellation of development projects.

As a result, residents of Sirsa are unable to get basic civic amenities like drainage systems and better roads. The matter will remain stuck unless the Central Government intervenes and removes legal and administrative hurdles.