HP High Court Halts Transfer of University Land for Tourism Project.

Shimla:

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued an interim order preventing state authorities from transferring 112 hectares of land from Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Agriculture University, Palampur, to the Tourism Department for the establishment of a tourism village.

A Division Bench, led by Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Ranjan Sharma, mandated the Chief Secretary, along with the Secretaries of the Tourism and Agriculture Departments, the Kangra District Commissioner, and the university’s Registrar, to submit responses by October 17.

The ruling followed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the HP Agriculture Teachers’ Association, which argued that the land transfer would harm agricultural education and the interests of farmers. The association, along with local residents, had previously expressed concerns to the Governor and Chief Minister on August 29, noting that seven former vice-chancellors had also urged the state to reconsider the project, citing its negative impact on teaching and research activities at the university.