SC Panel Seeks Clarification on Punjab’s Policy Allowing Housing Projects in Delisted Forest Areas
The Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has sought comprehensive details from the Punjab Government regarding its recently announced policy permitting the approval and regularisation of low-impact green habitats on forestland removed from the purview of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), 1900.
In a communication addressed to Punjab Chief Secretary KAP Sinha, CEC Chairman Siddhanta Das has requested a complete account of the specified portions of delisted land across the state, along with relevant Supreme Court orders pertaining to these areas. The move comes amid growing concerns from environmentalists, foresters, and civil society groups.
A senior government official confirmed that the CEC’s intervention follows increasing criticism of the policy, which activists allege is an attempt to legitimise hundreds of illegal farmhouses constructed adjacent to forestland. Critics fear that the policy may disproportionately benefit influential individuals, including politicians and serving or retired bureaucrats.
A total of 55,000 hectares of land — adjoining key forest tracts rich in biodiversity — has been excluded from the PLPA. Environmental groups, including the Public Action Committee (PAC)-Mattewara, warn that allowing construction in these areas could have serious ecological consequences for the fragile kandi belt in the lower Shivalik Hills between Mohali and Pathankot. They argue the policy is “legally untenable, scientifically indefensible, and potentially in contempt of Supreme Court directions.”
The PAC-Mattewara, in a recent representation to the Chief Minister, urged the government to withdraw the policy. The group highlighted the Shivalik region’s vulnerable geology—marked by steep slopes, unconsolidated soil, and high sediment mobility—stating that even minimal construction activity could destabilise the terrain. The outfit also expressed concern over the state’s decision to proceed without awaiting central approval for the proposed eco-sensitive zone around Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary and without complying with provisions of the Forest Conservation Act (FCA), 1980.
Officials from the Punjab Forest Department underscored a March 2015 communication from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The ministry had clarified that while certain areas in Mohali, Ropar, Nawanshahr, Hoshiarpur, and Gurdaspur were removed from PLPA restrictions, these tracts must still be treated as forestland under the FCA. The ministry had allowed landowners to use delisted areas only for bona fide agricultural and livelihood activities.
A senior official noted that when the 55,000 hectares were delisted in 2010, the Forest Department carried out ground verification of agricultural usage and livelihood potential. Since then, he said, the state has not sought guidance from the Centre or the Supreme Court despite significant changes in land use. “Now, all of a sudden, low-density housing has been permitted in land abutting forests,” he remarked.
The CEC is expected to review the Punjab Government’s submissions before making further recommendations to the Supreme Court.
