The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has strongly criticised state authorities and the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) for failing to prevent illegal encroachments on the Arjunganj Firing Range, a vital training ground for the Indian Army.
A division bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manjeev Shukla, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in 2011 by Brigadier Tirbani Prasad, observed that repeated requests from army officials were ignored. As a result, vast portions of the range have been illegally occupied, forcing the army to restrict itself to short-range firing practice.
“The state government and LDA officials kept their eyes and ears closed,” the court remarked, noting that the encroachment had compromised the army’s operational readiness.
Orders for Survey and Next Hearing in September
The court has directed that the case be listed for the first week of September for further hearing. In the meantime, both the LDA and the Housing Development Council have been instructed to conduct a survey of the area to assess the extent of illegal occupation.
Additionally, the court has ordered its office to formally make the LDA and Housing Development Council parties to the PIL, ensuring their accountability in the matter.
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Expiry of Firing Range Notification
The bench also took note that the government notification declaring the Arjunganj land as a firing range is set to expire in September 2025. This raised concerns about the future of the range and its continued availability for army training.
Deputy Solicitor General SB Pandey informed the court that a request had already been made to the state government for an extension of the notification. The court responded by directing the government to take a “quick and well-considered decision” and communicate it promptly.
Court Warns of Fixing Responsibility
The High Court issued a stern warning that it would “fix responsibility” if authorities continued to neglect the matter. The judges underlined the importance of the firing range to the nation’s security and emphasised the need for urgent resolution.
Army’s Stand: Arjunganj Range Essential
The Indian Army has made it clear that the Arjunganj Firing Range is essential for its training requirements and that it seeks a permanent solution to the encroachment issue. Officials stressed that losing the range would severely limit long-range training exercises, directly impacting preparedness.
The matter will now come up again in September, with the court expecting concrete action from both state agencies and the central authorities.
