Madhya Pradesh High Court Dismisses Plea To Declare Hukumchand Mill Land As Protected Forest

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation seeking to classify the 42-acre Hukumchand Mill premises as a protected forest.

The division bench of Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Jai Kumar Pillai noted that the land had already been transferred to the Madhya Pradesh Housing Board (MPHB) for redevelopment following a lengthy legal process.

The petition, filed by environmental activist Om Prakash Joshi and others, argued that the mill land, closed in 1992, had naturally turned into a green zone over the years and should be preserved as a “city forest.” The petitioners also sought to quash tenders issued for clearing vegetation.

The court, however, observed that the land was sold to MPHB in 2023 for Rs 421 crore, with proceeds distributed to creditors and former workers. The judges noted that the concept of a “city forest” does not exist under the Indian Forest Act and that the site was never classified as government forest. The court clarified that the tenders were meant only for removing shrubs, bushes, and uprooted trees, not fully grown trees.

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“The Housing Board has not invested a huge amount of money to keep the land vacant for greenery purposes… without removing these shrubs, bushes, and uprooted wooden trees, construction cannot be started,” the bench said.

The court also pointed out that MPHB must obtain all necessary permissions before development and highlighted plans for a dedicated “City Forest” with one lakh trees in Kanadia, Indore.The PIL was dismissed, allowing MPHB to proceed with its redevelopment of Hukumchand Mill.