Panchkula: The path is finally clear for residents of Morni, Haryana’s only hill region, to get rightful ownership of their land after decades of dispute.The forest department has constituted a joint team of forest, revenue and administrative officials to carry out a comprehensive land settlement and demarcation exercise in the region.The survey team will use advanced differential GPS (DGPS), satellite imaging and photographic mapping technology to accurately identify and demarcate forest land, private land and disputed areas across Morni’s 14 bhoj kotahas and 172 villages and settlements. Officials said the exercise will help establish clear ownership records and eliminate long-standing disputes.The development took place following the Panjab and Haryana high court’s directions on public interest litigation filed by Vijay Bansal.The court had directed the forest department to undertake a proper settlement of forest and private lands after expressing concern over delays in resolving the issue.Bansal had filed the PIL in 2017 seeking ownership rights for local landholders. He shared a high-level meeting was recently held in Panchkula under the leadership of forest settlement officer and retired IFS officer MP Sharma. The meeting was attended by senior forest officials, revenue officers, including 60 patwaris and four kanungos, along with representatives of Chennai-based survey firm Almondz Global Infra Consultant Ltd.Bansal said the issue has affected thousands of residents for decades, with many landowners facing difficulties due to overlapping claims by the forest department. He claimed previous surveys failed to provide a permanent solution despite substantial expenditure.The demarcation exercise is expected to cover nearly 6,000 acres and determine the exact extent of forest and private holdings. Bansal expressed confidence that the process would finally enable eligible residents to secure ownership rights over their land.The forest settlement officer assured that the survey would be completed expeditiously, while principal chief conservator of forests Jitendra Ahlawat said there would be no further delay in implementing the court-mandated exercise.
