Supporting the resolution passed by the Bagi Gram Panchayat against the acquisition of land for the proposed mountain township Jathiya Devi, Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Vikramaditya Singh said that if villagers don’t want to sell their fertile agricultural land, the authorities will have to explore other options.
Vikramaditya, the MLA from Shimla (Rural), said he had conveyed the sentiments of villagers to the officials concerned and the Department of Town and Country Planning.
“On January 10, the Bagi Gram Panchayat at a Gram Sabha passed an unopposed resolution against the acquisition of land for the Jathiya Devi mountain township. I was scheduled to attend the Gram Sabha, but couldn’t due to a meeting in Delhi. I was told about the resolution. I assured the villagers and the entire Gram Sabha that the acquisition will not happen against their wishes and conditions. If the villagers don’t want to sell their fertile agricultural land, the authorities will have to explore other options,” Vikramaditya told The Indian Express. “Be any projects, township, industrial, etc., the local people should be given preference. The projects can’t ignore the local people.”
Meanwhile, Bagi Gram Panchayat up-pradhan Desh Raj says, “In the coming days, we will also meet Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla to handover a memorandum. Agriculture is the main source of our livelihood. We cannot allow the acquisition of our fertile land.”
Eight revenue villages, out of 11 under the Bagi Gram Panchayat, which falls under the Shimla (Rural) Assembly Constituency, and a village of adjoining Solan district were selected for land acquisition for the Jathiya Devi township.
Strategically located by the State Highway (SH) 16 and the National Highway (NH) 5, the proposed township is nearly 4 km from the Shimla Airport and about 20-22 km from ISBT, Shimla.
The landscape comprises ridges, valleys and seasonal streams between 1,300 and 1,500 metres above sea level.
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The first phase of the township proposes 895 residential units across High Income Group (HIG), Medium Income Group (MIG), Low Income Group (LIG) and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) categories, along with commercial and industrial components over 84.22 hectares, while green and river development zones will cover another 33 hectares.
According to a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) study held in November 2025 on the township, the township will span around 249 hectares, of which 35 hectares is government-owned land. The proposed land use includes Residential zones (55.16 ha): HIG, MIG, LIG and EWS; Commercial areas (13.36 ha) and non-polluting industrial zones (15.7 ha), recreational and green zones (16.42 ha), river development areas (16.56 ha), etc.
The proposed widened roads (13.78 ha), utility services, smart transport systems, helipad connectivity, and eco-sensitive planning area were other features of the township.
