5,000 Apple growers to rally in Shimla over evictions, tree felling
Photo used for indicative purpose only. Source Internet
Shimla, July 28,
Farmers and apple growers from various regions of Himachal Pradesh are set to stage a protest in Shimla on July 29, 2025, under the banner of the Himachal Seb Utpadak Sangh and the Himachal Kisan Sabha. The organisations have announced a planned Secretariat gherao, with an estimated participation of around 5,000 individuals.
The protest has been called in response to ongoing evictions and the cutting of apple trees on lands now classified as forest area under revised interpretations of the Forest Conservation Act (FCA). Farmers allege that privately cultivated orchards have been marked as forest land, leading to tree removal and notices of eviction in several villages.
On Monday, the organisers met at the Kisan Sabha Bhawan in Shimla to coordinate preparations.
Also read: Himachal Apple growers protest evictions, orchard destruction; Statewide stir on July 29
According to the associations, apple growers from Rohru, Kotkhai, Jubbal, Nawar, Chhura, and Nankhari have reported that legal orders are being used to carry out evictions without adequate engagement or review of longstanding land use practices. They have called for the implementation of protective provisions under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and the allotment of up to five bighas of land to landless cultivators.
Kisan Sabha leader Kuldeep Tanwar stated that while the Supreme Court has granted a temporary stay on green felling, the protest would continue until a clear state-level policy is introduced. He referred to the 2002 amendment to the Land Revenue Act (Section 163-A) as an example of how small holdings had previously been regularised and suggested a similar approach could be adopted.
The planned protest reflects a broader mobilisation of rural communities from the apple belt, where horticulture remains a key source of income. The associations maintain that their objective is to seek policy clarity and relief measures, especially for small orchardists whose land rights may not have been formally recorded.
The protest is likely to draw attention to the evolving situation concerning land use classification, conservation laws, and the livelihoods of apple growers, which remain interlinked in many parts of the state.
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