The Uttarakhand government has appointed an agency to carry out digital demarcation of forest boundaries, a step expected to bring clarity over forest land disputes and help in effective action against encroachments. With 71.05 percent of its geographical area under forests, the state has long faced issues of missing or damaged boundary markers and land disputes between departments.
Officials said that many forest boundary pillars have either disappeared or been destroyed, making it difficult to identify whether disputed land belongs to the forest department or other agencies. This often results in conflicts and encroachments. To address this, the state cabinet approved the demarcation process on August 13, including digitisation of records and the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) and georeferencing technology.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Dr. Sameer Sinha, confirmed that the agency has been designated and will now prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR). He said the initiative will help resolve forest land disputes, improve forest management, and identify encroached areas for further action.
In regions like Mussoorie forest division, a large number of boundary pillars are missing, while the Terai and Bhabar forest divisions have witnessed repeated encroachment cases. With the new demarcation plan, fresh action plans are being prepared for Terai East, West, and Central divisions to track missing markers and monitor encroachments more effectively.
