Bagi Panchayat Passes Unanimous Resolution Against Land Acquisition for Jathiya Devi Township

The Resolution and Who Decided

The panchayat of Bagi located in the suburbs of Shimla has unanimously passed a resolution opposing the proposed land acquisition for the Jathiya Devi township project near the Jubbarhatti Airport, about 20 km from the Himachal Pradesh capital. A resolution to this effect was passed with an overwhelming majority during a Gram Sabha meeting held on Saturday at the Jathiya Devi Panchayat Bhawan. The meeting was chaired by Panchayat pradhan Naresh Kumar Thakur and vice-pradhan Des Raj.

The resolution passed by the Bagi gram panchayat against the land acquisition for the proposed Jathiya Devi township in Shimla district was submitted to the governor and the chief minister on Wednesday [January 16]. Copies of the resolution have been sent to the governor, chief minister, town and country planning minister, PWD minister, district officials and the social impact assessment unit of the National Green Tribunal.

What Was Decided

At a special Gram Sabha meeting held on January 10, residents of eight villages, including Chalan, Mashla, Kyargi, Shilaila, Patti, Panjari, Odi and Shilu, demanded immediate withdrawal of the land acquisition proposal. It was passed at a special Gram Sabha attended by residents of eight villages Chalan, Mashla, Kyargi, Shilaila, Patti, Panjari, Odi and Shilu, which are among the 11 villages identified for the proposed township, conceptualised in 2014 to decongest Shimla and approved by the Centre.

Claiming that the land acquisition would threaten the social, economic and environmental structure of the rural area, the villagers, through the resolution, demanded immediate cancellation of the proposal. The panchayat said villagers had not given consent for the acquisition and that the proposal was cleared without Gram Sabha approval.

Why Villages Oppose the Project

The villagers have opposed the move fearing displacement and loss of livelihoods if their cultivable lands are acquired. The land, purchased by residents over the past two decades, was primarily used for agriculture and dairy farming, and was irrigated through traditional methods. Documentation of the resolution has been forwarded to key officials, including the governor and chief minister, highlighting that the process overlooked the essential consent of the Gram Sabha, raising social and environmental alarms.

The Project Context

The Jathiya Devi township project, to be executed by the Himachal Pradesh Housing and Urban Development Authority (HIMUDA), was conceptualised in 2014 to decongest Shimla. Himachal Pradesh Housing and Urban Development Authority (HIMUDA) has received approval from its board to acquire land to establish a new township Mountain City, near Jubbar-Hatti Airport in the suburbs of Shimla, to decongest the state capital.

The government has already acquired 35 hectares for the much-delayed township project, 12 km from the state capital. The government had sent a Rs 1,374 crore proposal to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for the project for approval. Around 2,600 bighas were required for the project, and land was being acquired with Rs 1,300 crore to be spent on the project.

Government's Stated Position

Himachal Pradesh Public Works and Urban Development Minister Vikramaditya Singh said that no compulsory or forceful land acquisition will be carried out for the proposed satellite township at Jathiya Devi near Jubbarhatti airport in Shimla district. The minister said the interests of local residents of the Shimla Rural constituency would be given top priority, and not even an inch of land would be taken without public consent.

Singh said resolutions passed by village panchayats opposing forced land acquisition would be respected. Vikramaditya Singh has firmly stated that no compulsory land acquisition will occur for the proposed satellite township at Jathiya Devi near Shimla. He emphasized that the nearly 1,200 bighas required will only be taken with the full consent of local villagers, respecting resolutions from opposing gram panchayats.

What Comes Next

The resolution has been formally submitted to state and national authorities. The resolution, shared with the media, seeks an immediate halt to the acquisition plan. The government continues land acquisition efforts while officially committing to consent-based acquisition, creating a standoff between the state's development agenda and village resistance to displacement.