Kondhwa reserved forest land transfer initiated following SC order

Hindustan Times

26-05-2025

Acting on the Supreme Court's (SC's) directions, the Pune District Collectorate has initiated the process of transferring 29 acres and 15 gunthas of reserved forest land in Kondhwa Budruk to the forest department.
The move follows an SC order dated May 15 which declared as void a 1998 allotment of this forest land to members of the Chavan family. The land was later sold to Richie Rich Cooperative Housing Society (RRCHS) for a multi-storey housing project. The SC also declared as void all subsequent transactions and developments on this land, citing a clear violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The transfer of this land to the forest department is intended to ensure compliance with the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and prevent further encroachment or unauthorised use.
Following the May 15 SC order, the Pune district collector on May 17 instructed officials to inspect the site in question and initiate the process of transferring the reserved forest land to the forest department. Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi said that the land would be handed over to the forest department after demarcation. 'Necessary updates will be made to the 7/12 land records within the timeframe set by the SC,' he said.
Meanwhile, the forest department is awaiting formal instructions from the Maharashtra government. Assistant conservator of forests Deepak Pawar said, 'The SC's directions will be communicated to us through the state government. We are currently awaiting those instructions.'
Pawar further said that the forest department had submitted an affidavit to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in March 2025, detailing the status of the reserved forest land under the revenue department's control. 'We are now verifying land records and will act once we receive further directions from the state government,' he said.
The transfer is expected to bring the reserved forest land under the formal control of the forest department, enabling legal protection and stricter enforcement of conservation norms.
The SC ruling dated May 15 came in response to a petition filed in 2007 by Nagrik Chetna Manch, a citizens' group, which challenged the 1998 diversion of the said forest land for private construction. The SC found that the land had been notified as reserved forest in 1879 and had remained so in official records. No valid de-reservation process had taken place after 1934. The apex court then held that the diversion of forest land for non-forest use was illegal, and stemmed from a nexus between politicians, bureaucrats, and builders under the pretext of rehabilitation. It ordered restoration of the said land.
Calling the judgement 'significant', deputy conservator of forests Mahadev Mohite said that it could pave the way for similar actions across the country. 'In Maharashtra, nearly 1.5 lakh hectares of forest land remain with the revenue department. In Pune district, it is about 14,000 hectares,' he said.