In 2023, the Chief Conservator of Forests ordered a physical verification of all forest boundary pillars in Mussoorie prior to chalking out a new working plan. It was found that of the 12,321 boundary pillars, 7,375 were missing. Recently, the Uttarakhand High Court asked that a probe be conducted into how forest officials accumulated unexplained wealth and the disappearance of forest boundary pillars. The Court took this decision based on internal reports that flagged irregularities and raised concerns over land protection and administrative oversight in the Mussoorie forest division. The Court has issued notices to the CBI, the Central and Uttarakhand governments, the Survey of India, and the Central Empowerment Committee of the Supreme Court of India to file counter-affidavits within six weeks. The matter will be heard on 11 February 2026.
The pillars are made of cement or reinforced cement concrete and, depending on their size, cost a few thousand rupees. Thousands of boundary pillars were either missing or not installed at all, but may have been “paid” for for accounting purposes. It is shocking that officials who are employed to protect the forest may allegedly be involved in nefarious activities. It is like the “forest eating its trees.”
