Shimla, July 12 -- The ongoing forest encroachment drive in Himachal Pradesh has claimed another life, this time in Jubbal tehsil of Shimla district.
Gyan Chand Sharma, a resident of Badhal village, who had been fighting for his rights over land cultivated with apple orchards, passed away in distress after his trees were axed by the Forest Department.
State Secretary of CPI(M) and Former Mayor of Shimla Sanjay Chauhan told UNI that Sharma's family now faces an uncertain future, grappling with both emotional and severe economic loss.
"Sharma's apple orchard, comprising hundreds of fruit-bearing trees, was razed by the forest officials during the previous BJP government," Chauhan said.
He also highlighted the fact that the Forest departm...