Mussoorie Forest Scam: Boundary Pillars Vanish, Mafia Gains Ground

In Uttarakhand, our earlier investigation had laid bare the contours of a sprawling eco-tourism scam—illegal constructions deep inside fragile forest zones, diversion of revenues meant for conservation, and glaring government inaction despite a comprehensive report filed by IFS officer and whistleblower Sanjiv Chaturvedi. Even after the central government issued directions on his findings to act against the offenders, the Uttarakhand administration chose to target the officer instead of acting against those indicted. The Probe had also learnt of his imminent transfer well before it was formally announced and released a conversation with the state’s Principal Secretary, R. K. Sudhanshu, in which the bureaucrat was heard questioning the whistleblower rather than the offenders. The transfer eventually went through, but mounting public scrutiny compelled the state to shift out a senior IFS officer whose name had figured prominently in the scam.

Now, before the dust could even settle on that controversy, The Probe has obtained exclusive details of a fresh scandal—one that suggests a concerted effort by powerful land mafias, operating in collusion with corrupt forest officials, to steadily erode Uttarakhand’s green cover. Their method: dismantling thousands of forest boundary pillars, the very demarcations meant to safeguard public forest land, and thereby opening the way for encroachment, illegal logging, and unchecked land grabs.

A Whopping 60% of Boundary Pillars Missing in Mussoorie Forest

What began as hushed conversations within the forest department has now erupted into a full-blown scandal. The case of the missing boundary pillars was, for years—perhaps even decades—an open secret in closed circles of Uttarakhand’s bureaucracy. Officials and insiders who spoke to The Probe revealed that there had long been a systemic and deliberate effort to uproot these boundary markers, thereby weakening forest protections and paving the way for encroachment. Yet, despite the whispers, no one had been able to place the shocking scale of the scam on record—until in recent years.

The turning point came during the revision of the Working Plan of the Mussoorie Forest Division. The survey revealed that an astounding 7,375 boundary pillars—out of a total of 12,321—were missing, meaning 59.82 percent of pillars had vanished. Put simply, nearly six out of every ten markers that once stood to safeguard these forests no longer exist.

This bombshell finding was first officially reported on 27 March 2023, when the then Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Mussoorie, Ashutosh Singh, submitted the data to the Working Plan Officer. The survey conducted by the field staff detailed that out of the 7,375 missing pillars, 4,133 were from the Mussoorie Range and 1,722 from the Raipur Range. Together, these two ranges alone accounted for nearly 80 percent of the vanished markers—unsurprising, given that these tracts are the most lucrative from an encroachment perspective, eyed hungrily by hoteliers, resort operators, and real estate developers.

The Mussoorie Forest Division comprises six ranges in total. Apart from Mussoorie and Raipur, the Kempty Range reported 218 missing pillars, Devalsari 296, Jaunpur 944, and Bhadrigad 62. Taken together, the tally of missing pillars adds up to 7,375—corroborating the alarming estimate that around 60 percent of the forest’s physical safeguards against encroachment have disappeared.

What Are Boundary Pillars and Why Do They Matter?

Boundary pillars are stone or concrete markers installed by the Forest Department to clearly demarcate forest land. Each pillar carries a unique identification number, mapped in official records, to establish the exact extent of forest territory. Their role is both legal and ecological: they safeguard against encroachment, prevent disputes over land ownership, and serve as a physical reminder of the state’s custodianship of forests. 

According to the Forest Survey of India and guidelines from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, these pillars are an essential part of forest management because they form the first line of defense against illegal land grabs. When intact, they preserve the integrity of forest boundaries; when missing, they create a legal vacuum that opportunistic builders and mafias can exploit.

Mussoorie Forest Division’s Historical Legacy

The Mussoorie Forest Division is not just another administrative zone—it is a landscape with deep historical and cultural resonance. Established during the British Raj, these forests were among the first to be conserved for their climatic and aesthetic value. For over a century, their misty deodar groves and rolling hills have inspired writers, thinkers, and artists. None more so than Ruskin Bond, whose timeless stories are intertwined with the quiet charm of Mussoorie’s woods. The division thus carries a legacy of conservation that blends history, culture, and ecology.

Beyond its legacy, the forest division functions as a living laboratory for our time. Scientists and conservationists study climate change impacts, human–wildlife conflict, and models of sustainable tourism here, offering lessons for the entire Himalayan region. Equally, it is the economic lifeline of Uttarakhand. 

Mussoorie, often hailed as the “Queen of the Hills,” draws millions of visitors annually for its scenic beauty, trekking routes and land adventure activities. With tourism contributing roughly 10–15% to Uttarakhand’s GDP, the forests of this region underpin both livelihoods and state revenue. 

Once the Pillars Are Gone, the Forest Follows

In this context, the disappearance of boundary pillars is nothing short of catastrophic. Forest boundaries are meant to be clearly marked by these stone and concrete markers, ensuring that land under the Forest Department’s control remains protected from outside claims. When these markers are tampered with or uprooted, entire stretches of forest become legally vulnerable. Encroachers and land mafias can then occupy the land and, over time, fabricate ownership claims. 

Who Is Behind the Vanishing Boundary Pillars and Their Modus Operandi

Forest insiders reveal that a well-oiled crime syndicate is orchestrating the disappearance of boundary pillars in the forest division, operating with the tacit approval—or at times, active involvement—of high-ranking officials within the forest department. According to multiple sources, this is not a sporadic act but a systematic strategy that has been refined over years, designed to facilitate large-scale encroachment and profit from the region’s lucrative forest land.

Pressure from the Real Estate and Hotel Industry

Mussoorie and its surrounding areas are prime locations for resorts, boutique hotels, and private villas. Forest land, if illegally acquired, comes at a fraction of the cost of officially purchased private land, making it extremely attractive to real estate developers. Land mafias deliberately target forest land for commercial ventures, seeking to maximise profits while minimising investment and bypassing regulatory scrutiny. Sources told The Probe that this has created persistent pressure on forest officials, with developers frequently lobbying local authorities to look the other way.

The modus operandi is calculated and precise: boundary pillars are systematically removed to create ambiguity over land ownership. Once the physical markers are gone, encroachers fence off the area, begin construction, or manipulate land records to appear legitimate. Without the pillars, any challenge to the encroachment becomes legally complicated, allowing the perpetrators to consolidate their hold on forest land over time.

In several cases, local forest staff and officials have been allegedly complicit, actively assisting in erasing boundaries. Instead of enforcing regulations, they enable the vanishing of these pillars, smoothing the path for encroachment. 

Government Inaction and Whistleblower Letters on Missing Boundary Pillars

On 21 June 2025, Chief Conservator of Forests (Working Plan), Sanjiv Chaturvedi, formally sent a report to the Head of Forest Force (HoFF), Samir Sinha, urging the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the disappearance of 7,375 boundary pillars in the forest division. In his letter, Chaturvedi warned: “The image of the forest department has been tarnished due to the cases of encroachment of forest land so close to the state capital.” He highlighted that while the pillars existed on official maps, they were conspicuously absent in the field, describing such a massive disappearance as “extremely unusual.”

Chaturvedi’s letter noted that such a large-scale removal of boundary pillars could not have occurred without the active connivance of forest officials posted in the area. He also suggested that political protection had likely facilitated this crime. He formally requested either the constitution of an SIT or a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry under the supervision of the court to ensure impartial investigation.

Despite this formal communication, no action was taken for two months. On 20 August 2025, Chaturvedi followed up with a second letter expressing his concern over the lack of response. He stated that “even after waiting for two months, no action has been taken on such a serious matter, which is extremely regrettable,” and added that there were indications that efforts were being made to shield the alleged culprits.

In his second letter, Chaturvedi urged the government to conduct a thorough investigation into the properties and assets of all divisional forest officers, regional forest conservators, and chief conservators posted both at that time and currently, as well as all forest officers in the affected areas.

He warned that without such a detailed probe, even the remaining forest areas under the forest division were at risk of being overtaken by encroachers. The disappearance of such a large number of boundary pillars, he noted, could not have occurred without the collusion of local field staff and the involvement of powerful political interests.

Chaturvedi stressed the urgent need for SIT- or court-monitored investigations. He also recommended rigorous scrutiny of the annual property returns of All India Service officers to identify suspicious or potentially illicit property transactions, framing the missing boundary pillars not just as an environmental or administrative crisis but also a matter of governance and integrity within the forest bureaucracy.

Centre Orders Probe

On 28 August 2025, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) issued a formal letter to the Head of Forest Force (HoFF) and Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Sanjiv Chaturvedi regarding the missing boundary pillars in the Mussoorie Forest Division. The Centre directed the state government to investigate the matter thoroughly and submit a detailed report on violations under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980.

Officials Acknowledge Probe, Investigations Underway

The Probe reached out to Samir Sinha, Head of Forest Force, Uttarakhand, regarding the missing boundary pillars. Sinha confirmed that the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had indeed asked the Uttarakhand government to investigate the matter. “Yes, the Centre has asked us to investigate the matter, but before that itself, when the report came to light, we had already constituted an enquiry and the survey of this is going on,” he told The Probe. “We have two main concerns. One is to figure out about the missing pillars, but the larger question for us is to see if there are any encroachments in the concerned places. Once the survey report comes, on the basis of that, we will decide the future course of action. As far as all the issues concerning the properties and assets of the concerned officials, I can tell you that all these issues are being looked into.”

We also spoke to Rajiv Dhiman, an IFS officer, who is currently leading the investigation. In his conversation with The Probe, Dhiman confirmed: “Yes, I am investigating this case. I have sought some documents from the DFO Mussoorie. As soon as the documents come, we will proceed with further investigation.” Dhiman further explained that he was asked by the Head of Forest Force to lead the inquiry, and that his present mandate was to establish how many pillars are missing and under what circumstances. “At this point, I will not be able to reveal all the details, but I can tell you that a committee has been formed to look into this matter and I have a team of six to seven people investigating this,” he said.

The Scale of the Problem and the Encroachment Nexus

One of the major challenges in investigating this case is the sheer scale of the task at hand: First, to accurately identify the original locations of the 7,375 missing pillars, and second, to determine the extent of encroachment once the pillars were removed.

Officials say the Uttarakhand government now faces two choices: conduct a limited enquiry that risks downplaying the issue, or launch a large-scale probe requiring administrative will, significant resources, and modern technology.

Experts suggest that the government must undertake a massive exercise and use Differential GPS (DGPS) technology to survey and geo-tag every boundary pillar with centimeter-level accuracy. Such a system would create a permanent, incorruptible digital record of each marker, making future encroachments easier to detect and prosecute.

Accountability measures must also be strengthened, insiders told The Probe. Field staff should be held personally responsible for the pillars in their jurisdiction. Any pillar found missing without a proper report or FIR should trigger immediate disciplinary action, including suspension. At the same time, whistleblower protection must be guaranteed, rewarding honest officers who expose the nexus between officials and encroachers.

The methods employed by encroachers are varied and systematic. Physical destruction is common—pillars are dug up, broken with machinery, or buried under construction debris. Deliberate obscuration is another tactic, where pillars are hidden under soil, walls, fences, or dense vegetation to make them difficult to locate. In some cases, official records are falsified, maps are altered, and documents are “lost,” creating legal ambiguity that encroachers exploit. Slow encroachment is yet another strategy, where land is gradually occupied, shifting the de facto boundary until the pillars can be removed with impunity.

Finally, these operations are often underpinned by political patronage. The land mafia functions within a complex nexus: mafia operatives identify and secure the land, builders provide capital and construction expertise, and corrupt officials ensure protection and minimal oversight. Political influence shields this network from swift action, allowing large-scale encroachment to continue unchecked and jeopardising both forest conservation and the rule of law.

The Vanishing Pillars Signals Broader Threats to India’s Forest Integrity

The disappearance of boundary pillars in the forest division should ring alarm bells across the country. It remains to be seen whether similar patterns will emerge in other parts of the country as well. Part of the issue lies in outdated records and lack of geospatial clarity. Many boundary markers are mapped in old forest working plans but not physically verified. 

This episode could serve as a wake-up call for other states with dense forest cover—such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and the Northeastern states—to urgently examine the integrity of their own boundary systems. In many regions, forest land records continue to rely on decades-old maps, leaving them vulnerable to manipulation and encroachment. Unless state governments move towards modern geospatial mapping, regular physical verification, and strict accountability of field staff, the threat of “vanishing boundaries” could easily spread beyond Mussoorie, eroding forest wealth across the country.

Comparatively, many developed countries maintain up-to-date forest or land boundary systems using GPS, digital maps, and satellite monitoring. Missing or tampered boundary markers are quickly detected via remote sensing, and cross-departmental land records are integrated to prevent fraud or misuse. The Mussoorie case suggests that India, too, may need to assess whether current mechanisms are sufficient — especially in hilly, densely forested or rapidly developing regions — to protect its forest boundaries before more land is lost.