India, Nov. 29 -- The Supreme Court-mandated survey to identify reserve forest land currently with the revenue department has hit an unexpected pause in Pune. Following the landmark Riche Rich Society judgment, the Court had directed all states, including Maharashtra, to complete the ground assessment, and the state has set the deadline for the same as November 15 and initiated steps to reclaim eligible forest land.

However, officials say the zilla parishad and municipal council elections, along with back-to-back leopard sightings across the city, have disrupted field operations.

Senior officers now admit the process is unlikely to be finished before next month, causing further delay in submitting the mandatory action-taken report to th...