Punjab cancels 5 liquor vend leases after forest dept flags protected land

Punjab department of water resources maintained that when the leases were executed through an open auction on July 7, 2025, the forest department had not raised any objection regarding the status of the land

The department of water resources, Punjab, has told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that the forest department did not object when five liquor vends in Rupnagar and Ludhiana districts were leased through an open auction in July 2025, only to later identify the sites as protected forest land, forcing the department to cancel the leases and initiate eviction proceedings.

Punjab water resources dept tells NGT that no objection was raised during auction. (HT)

In its affidavit filed before the NGT on July 20, the department said the disputed sites were leased after unauthorised occupants had been evicted under the Punjab Public Premises and Land (Eviction and Rent Recovery) Act, 1973. It maintained that when the leases were executed through an open auction on July 7, 2025, the Forest Department had not raised any objection regarding the status of the land.

The department stated that the divisional forest officer (DFO), Ludhiana, informed it on December 8, 2025, that two liquor vends located about 1,05,000 feet (32km approx) and 1,30,000 feet (40km approx) , respectively, from the Sirhind Canal headworks on its left bank were situated on protected forest land. Following the communication, the department cancelled the lease agreements for both vends on December 10, 2025.

The affidavit further states that on June 26, 2026, the DFO, Ropar, identified three more liquor vends located about 22,000 feet (6.7km), 35,000 feet (10.6km) and 75,000 feet (22.8km), respectively, from the Sirhind Canal headworks on the canal’s left bank as falling within protected forest land. The department cancelled the leases for these three sites on July 10, 2026. However, it clarified that a liquor vend near the Old Bus Stand in Rupnagar does not fall within protected forest land and therefore continues to operate.

According to the affidavit, eviction proceedings under the Punjab Public Premises Act have been initiated against four of the five cancelled lease sites, while the liquor vend located about 1,30,000 feet from the Sirhind Canal headworks has already been vacated.

The department also informed the tribunal that one of the lessees, whose liquor vend located about 105,000 feet from the canal headworks had its lease cancelled, challenged the decision before the Punjab and Haryana high court. The writ petition was dismissed, with the high court upholding the department’s action.

Defending its actions, the water resources department said it had acted bona fide and strictly in accordance with the law. It maintained that corrective measures were initiated immediately after the forest department communicated that the sites fell within protected forest land. The department also stated that it had no objection to cancelling any additional lease if the competent forest authority subsequently found the land to be protected forest.

A status report submitted before the tribunal states that while the leases of five liquor vends have been cancelled, another liquor vend along the Bist Doab Canal has not yet been terminated as the department is awaiting a final response from the forest department. It, however, said the lease would also be cancelled if the site is found to be part of protected forest land.

Seeking dismissal of the original application, the department contended that there had been no negligence or deliberate inaction on its part, arguing that all actions were taken only after the forest department identified the affected sites as protected forest land.