Shimla, July 18 -- The Himachal Pradesh high court pulled up the state government for "selective" anti- encroachment drive to free forest land, and sought fresh status report stating "encroachment from the government land/forest land, including removal of fruit-bearing trees from such land, has to be undertaken PAN Himachal Pradesh and it is not limited only to Rohru and Kotkhai". Expressing dissatisfaction with the limited scope of enforcement, the division bench of Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Bipin C Negi, while hearing Public Interest Litigations has directed the state to file a fresh status report indicating latest status with respect to action taken throughout the state of Himachal Pradesh. "It is again clarified, as also clarified in orders passed on previous dates, encroachment from the Government land/Forest land, including removal of fruit bearing trees from such land, has to be undertaken PAN Himachal Pradesh," ruled the high court on July 16, the detailed order made available now. The court has directed the state government to file a comprehensive status report indicating progress across the entire state by the next date of hearing, July 29. This direction was issued after the officials of Forest Department had felled 2,456 trees of apple and other fruit plants in aggregate from the encroached forest land in the Chaithla village till July 15 and operation is still going on. Apart from this, in Rohru Forest Division 713 and in Kotgarh Forest Division 490 numbers of fruit trees have been removed from the encroached forest land. The HC also pulled up authorities for non-compliance with its earlier judgment dated January 8, 2025, and directed the concerned departments to file compliance affidavits before the next hearing. Objections, if any, are to be resolved at the earliest, the court added. This High Court monitoring comes amid rising tensions in apple-growing regions over tree-felling operations, with the Himachal government reportedly planning to challenge aspects of the court's directives in the Supreme Court after obtaining legal advice. In a response to a question, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the state government is of the view that axing fruit laden apple trees is inappropriate and the HC should have given ample time to the state government for auctioning the apple produces. He said, "I will call a meeting with Horticulture Minister Jagat Negi and other senior officers in this regard to explore legal aspects on this issue". "The state government has intervened in this matter, the HC is not inclined to hear us on this issue." Sukhu added. "We are not in favor of indiscriminate felling of fruit-bearing trees. Our government wants to allow time for action rather than immediate destruction. Even if there is encroachment on forest land, we must follow due process." he said. Apple growers threaten to gherao secretariat on July 29 The Apple Farmers' Federation of India (AFFI) will protest against the ongoing felling of trees along with the HP Seb Utpadak Sangh. They will mobilise all the affected apple growers for a massive rally to the Shimla Secretariat on July 29 demanding an end to the terrorising evictions and felling of 50-year-old apple trees....