213 Sq Km to 29.94 Sq Km: What happened to Shikari Devi Sanctuary?

213 Sq Km to 29.94 Sq Km: What happened to Shikari Devi Sanctuary?

Shimla, Oct 8,

What explains the change in the recorded area of the Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary from 213.51 square kilometres to 29.94 square kilometres? The question came into focus before the Himachal Pradesh High Court on Thursday during the hearing of CWPIL No. 96 of 2026, amid wider concerns over infrastructure development and environmental safeguards in Seraj constituency.

The figures assume significance in view of records of the Karsog Forest Division, which refer to a notified area of 213.51 sq km, an area of 112.94 sq km on the ground, and a proposal involving exclusion of around 83 sq km, resulting in a post-rationalisation area of 29.94 sq km.

The records therefore provide a documentary trail for the change in the area figure. However, the precise legal and administrative process through which the boundaries were rationalised, the areas excluded and the subsequent status of those areas are matters that require examination of the relevant government notifications and records.

During Thursday’s proceedings, petitioner’s counsel Deven Khanna raised broader concerns regarding the scale of infrastructure development in Seraj and referred to records concerning roads, helipads and other structures in the region.

Also read Himachal HC flags roads opening up Ecologically Fragile areas

According to the submissions made before the court, Seraj has around 110 roads and 16 helipads, with 54 roads allegedly constructed without forest clearance. It was further submitted that the remaining roads had reportedly received clearance subsequently.

The petitioner’s side also drew the court’s attention to more than 20 guest houses reportedly located on forest land, including 12 Forest Rest Houses and five PWD Rest Houses, and questioned whether the requisite statutory requirements had been complied with.

The counsel questioned whether infrastructure development in the ecologically sensitive Himalayan region had been undertaken after obtaining the necessary forest, environmental and other statutory permissions.

Questions were also raised regarding the reported use of provisions of the Forest Rights Act in connection with development activities.

The submissions assume significance against the backdrop of the extreme weather events, flash floods, landslides and other disasters witnessed across Himachal Pradesh in recent years. The petitioner’s side questioned whether development in the region was being undertaken with adequate consideration of ecological carrying capacity, geological stability, forest conservation and disaster vulnerability.

The larger issue before the court was whether infrastructure expansion in a fragile mountain ecosystem was being accompanied by adequate environmental safeguards and statutory compliance.

What do the sanctuary records show?

The issue of the Shikari Devi sanctuary’s area is particularly significant because the official forest records themselves contain different figures at different stages.

The Karsog Forest Division records refer to the sanctuary’s 213.51 sq km notified area, while recording 112.94 sq km as the area on the ground. They further refer to approximately 83 sq km proposed for exclusion, following which the post-rationalisation area is recorded as 29.94 sq km.

The figure of 29.94 sq km is also reflected in the subsequent Eco-Sensitive Zone notification concerning the Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary.

The documentary record therefore raises an important question: what was the statutory process through which the sanctuary boundaries were rationalised, which areas were excluded, and what legal status and environmental protections applied to those areas thereafter?

It would, however, be premature to conclude from the difference in figures alone that any illegality occurred. The legality of the process would depend upon the relevant notifications, approvals, boundary records and statutory provisions applicable at the time.

The proceedings before the High Court have consequently brought the issue into public focus while the court examines the broader concerns raised in the PIL.

The case also highlights the continuing tension between infrastructure development and ecological protection in Himachal Pradesh’s fragile mountain regions.

For now, the official records establish a significant change in the recorded area—from 213.51 sq km to 29.94 sq km. The important question emerging from the proceedings is not simply where the difference in area went, but what legal and administrative process resulted in the change and what happened to the areas excluded from the sanctuary.

The High Court’s proceedings may therefore provide an opportunity for these questions to be examined against the relevant government records and statutory framework.

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