SHIMLA, July 19: Himachal Apple Producers Association (HP Seb Utpadak Sangh) has intensified its protest against the ongoing eviction drive and cutting of apple orchards on forest land, accusing the state government of ignoring the plight of small farmers and orchardists.
A delegation led by the association met Education Minister and Jubbal-Nawar-Kotkhai MLA Rohit Thakur today, submitting a memorandum demanding an immediate halt to the “cutting of trees and eviction from houses.”
Farmers and orchardists from Rohru, Jubbal, Kotkhai, Navar, Chhura, and Nankhari accompanied the delegation. They urged the minister to intervene and convey their concerns to the government, stating that the administration was misusing High Court orders to uproot apple plants and displace families.
The association, in its memorandum, highlighted multiple grievances, including the illegal eviction of landowners without clear directives from the court and the failure to implement protective laws such as the Forest Rights Act, 2006. It demanded that eviction from homes be stopped immediately, a complete ban on cutting of apple trees be enforced, and that landless farmers be allotted up to five bighas of land.
Following the meeting, the association convened a gathering of affected orchardists, expressing regret over the government’s “poor and insensitive” approach. The association also resolved to organize village-level meetings to mobilize mass participation for the planned Secretariat siege on July 29.
Leaders of the association warned that the agitation will continue until the government takes concrete steps to safeguard apple growers’ rights, stop forcible evictions, and cancel the ongoing tree-cutting orders. (UNI)
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