Himachal govt to move SC for stay on felling of apple trees

The Himachal government will move the Supreme Court on Monday to seek a stay on the felling of apple trees on the encroached forest land in the state. Currently, the Forest Department is cutting down apple trees from the forest land on the orders of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

“The decision was taken in the meeting chaired by Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi today,” said Kuldeep Rathore, the Congress MLA from the Theog Assembly constituency.

Rathore further said that a consensus was reached in the meeting that the timing of cutting down apple trees wasn’t appropriate, and hence it was decided to seek a stay on their felling.

“A large scale cutting of apple trees in monsoon could cause soil erosion and result in some disaster. Also, the trees are fruit laden at the moment,” he said.

Currently, the Forest Department is cutting down trees in the Kotkhai and the Kumarsain areas. In Kumarsain, a family has been evicted from the house built on the forest land. Seb Utpadak Sangh and Himachal Kisan Sabha, affiliated to CPM, have already started agitation against the felling of trees, and have given a call for gherao of the Secretariat on July 29. The felling of trees has triggered an intense debate, especially on social media. Even as Seb Utpadak Sangh and Himachal Kisan Sabha are opposing the felling, many are in favour of the orders, especially in the case of well-off growers encroaching forest land to plant apple trees.