In the hill state of Uttarakhand, a new controversy is unfolding around more than 500 acres of land once tied to mining leases in the Doon Valley. Once under government custody, these parcels, originally allocated for limestone extraction, appear to have slipped out of state control. Today, many of these tracts host luxury resorts, hotels, and private holdings, raising urgent questions about governance, environmental oversight, and accountability.
From Mining Ban to Disputed Custody
The story traces back to the 1960s, when the Geological Survey of India (Lucknow division) identified and mapped more than 500 acres across Dehradun and Mussoorie, leasing them to private operators for mining. That era ended abruptly in 1985, when the Supreme Court, led by Justice P.N. Bhagwati, banned quarrying in the fragile valley through two landmark writ petitions (Nos. 8209 and 8202). The judgment transferred custody of these lands to the District Magistrate of Dehradun, with the mandate of ensuring ecological restoration and long-term protection.
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Yet, despite the legal clarity, state authorities never took formal possession of much of the land. Over time, ownership blurred, boundaries became porous, and a patchwork of unauthorized development crept in. The Eco-Task Force, a specialized body created to restore degraded hillsides, did manage to rehabilitate stretches of barren slopes, but once the greenery returned, so too did encroachment.
Rising Concerns Amid Fragile Slopes
The contested plots span areas such as Hathipaon, Kyarkuli, Bhandwali, Sahastradhara, Timli, and Mussoorie Road, among others. What once were scarred mining zones now carry real estate values far beyond their original designation. Some parcels host thriving hospitality projects, while others have been absorbed into expanding urban peripheries.
This transformation coincides with increasing anxiety about the ecological balance of the Doon Valley. Heavy monsoons have triggered frequent landslides, and experts warn that unchecked construction could worsen instability. The Supreme Court’s early intervention was meant precisely to shield the valley’s fragile geology, yet nearly four decades later, enforcement remains uneven.
District officials now say they will initiate a probe into the status of these lands. But the larger question lingers: how did 500 acres of government-owned land, entrusted to the state for protection, quietly slip into private hands? The answer could reveal not just a lapse in paperwork but a pattern of systemic neglect stretching across decades.