NHAI's Neglect of Boundary Pillars on Kiratpur-Manali Highway Raises Alarm Over Forest Encroachments
A committee formed by the state forest department has issued a stark warning regarding the National Highways Authority of India's (NHAI) failure to demarcate government land along the Kiratpur–Manali highway. The panel, established in June last year and led by the assistant conservator of forests (ACF), has reported no progress in repairing or reinstalling damaged and missing boundary pillars, heightening the risk of illegal encroachments on diverted forest land.
Critical Findings and Official Communications
In a recent letter, Bilaspur Forest Division ACF Varun Barwal informed divisional forest officer (DFO) Rajiv Kumar that despite repeated communications and reminders issued to the NHAI office in Mandi, the agency has neither responded nor initiated the necessary repair work. The Right of Way (ROW) pillars, which mark the exact width and boundary of the acquired land along the highway, remain absent or damaged in key sections.
This inaction is a clear violation of condition 18 stipulated in the final approval granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for the diversion of forest land for the highway project. The ACF has suggested necessary action against the NHAI for what he describes as continuous non-compliance and lack of cooperation.
Escalating Concerns and Legal Warnings
Last month, on January 6, Conservator of Forests Mritunjay Madhav directed NHAI Project Director Varun Chari to immediately undertake the repair and reinstallation of all missing and damaged boundary pillars without any further delay. Madhav emphasized that their absence poses a serious risk of encroachments on forest land along the highway and ordered the submission of a detailed action taken report.
He warned that failure to comply would invite appropriate action under relevant legal provisions. This directive follows broader concerns raised by the Himachal Pradesh High Court last year during a hearing on a petition filed by Madan Lal Sharma, general secretary of the Fourlane Visthapit and Prabhavit Samiti (FVPS).
Broader Implications and Public Safety Risks
The High Court observed that encroachments along the highway endanger the safety of commuters and pedestrians, as illegal constructions create accident-prone black spots. According to Sharma, encroachments have sprung up along the entire section from Manali to Kiratpur, primarily due to NHAI's failure to properly demarcate the land.
Sharma noted that while the NHAI identified 91 illegal encroachments in Bilaspur district alone, this number is just the tip of the iceberg. Without proper demarcation, encroachers are freely grabbing forest land with no one to stop them. He added that despite the highway opening in 2023, not a single pillar has been installed in accordance with rules on the diverted forest land, despite repeated instructions from the forest department.
The situation underscores a significant lapse in infrastructure management, threatening both environmental conservation and public safety in the region.
