Forest dept told to re-examine tree felling in Radha Soami Satsang Beas case

Kullu: While rejecting a request to dismiss an original application alleging environmental vandalism and illegal expansion works by the Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the forest department to re-examine the issue of tree felling and demarcation of land.In a recent order, Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi impleaded the Kangra divisional forest officer (DFO) as a respondent in the case and directed him to file a reply on alleged hill cutting and illegal muck dumping by Radha Soami Satsang Beas, as verified by a joint committee of the Tribunal.Justice Tyagi also ordered the DFO to submit his reply on the fresh demarcation of land owned by Radha Soami Satsang Beas.Expressing surprise at the penalty imposed for illegal tree felling, Justice Tyagi observed in his order that "35 trees are stated to have been illegally cut but a meagre amount of Rs 5,000 has been levied against the defaulters, whereas the cost of the timber would be much higher than the value compensated".The Tribunal also turned down a request made by Pritam Singh, a representative of the applicants in the case, seeking dismissal of the original application as withdrawn.Justice Tyagi observed in his order that the present original application "raises substantial environmental questions and cannot be allowed to be withdrawn on statement of the applicants, who represent a small group of the general public".The NGT, however, allowed Pritam Singh and other applicants to withdraw from the case and instead appointed the NGT Bar Association as a substitute.Notably, acting on a petition filed in October last year by Seema Kumari, pradhan of Ghaneta panchayat, and residents of Dhoran, Balla, Paraur, and Darang villages of Kangra district, the Tribunal ordered the formation of a joint committee to investigate allegations of environmental vandalism, illegal land acquisition, and encroachments by Radha Soami Satsang Beas.In the petition, the residents accused the Paraur-based centre of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas near Palampur in Kangra district of illegally expanding its infrastructure after acquiring local land through various means, and engaging in massive construction activities on agricultural and forest land in violation of the state Land Revenue Act and the Town and Country Planning Act.The joint committee, in its recent report submitted to the NGT through Kangra deputy commissioner Hemraj Bairwa, confirmed that Radha Soami Satsang Beas committed various environmental violations, including illegal tree felling and muck dumping at its centre in Paraur village.As per the joint committee report, the forest department imposed a penalty of Rs 5,000 against the violators for illegally cutting 35 trees and Rs 2,000 for felling 10 more trees in the Balla village area, and a penalty of Rs 1 lakh was imposed against Radha Soami Satsang Beas for illegal muck dumping without any protective measures. The committee also observed in its report that, during its inspection, the local footpath was temporarily blocked due to development activity by Radha Soami Satsang Beas, forcing villagers to use an alternate route. However, the joint committee found no evidence of coercive encroachment by the Radha Soami Satsang Beas following a "fresh demarcation" by the revenue department.Radha Soami Satsang Beas holds approximately 5,29,632 square metres of land spread across five villages — Paraur, Dhoran, Balla, Ghaneta, and Darang — in Kangra district. The members of a joint committee appointed by the NGT conducted a joint inspection of the site on Nov 4, 2025. MSID:: 129270270 413 |