Mattewara committee launches ‘Shivalik Morcha’ to protect Punjab’s fragile foothills

The Public Action Committee, Mattewara, launched ‘Shivalik Morcha’ on Sunday to protect Punjab’s fragile Shivalik foothills. One of the members, Jaskirat Singh, stated that, coinciding with Mahashivratri, this intervention was necessary to save the natural ecological asset.

“The Shivaliks are not merely a natural barrier against soil erosion and flash runoff, but a critical groundwater recharge zone for Punjab’s plains and a biodiversity-supporting forest landscape that acts as a stabilising ecological shield for agriculture downstream,” he said.

The Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) was enacted to prevent degradation of these fragile foothills. “Even colonial administrators recognised that disturbing this terrain would destabilise the plains and weaken agricultural prosperity,” Singh added, noting that recent policy decisions permitting construction and regularisation in foothill areas have raised serious ecological concerns.

Permanent structures, road paving, slope alteration, and land fragmentation in such fragile terrain, without comprehensive scientific appraisal, risk long-term and irreversible environmental damage. The committee will advocate for strict compliance with forest and environmental protections in the Shivalik belt, support scientific and transparent evaluation before any irreversible land-use changes, mobilise citizens, faith leaders, farmers, and experts to protect this fragile zone, and raise awareness about the ecological risks involved.