Udaipur Correspondent, 6 August 2025:
Tension flared up on Tuesday morning near the Khupi Long Forest Beat area under the Udaipur subdivision of Gomati district, as members of the Joint Forest Management (JFM) Committee took to the streets in protest. They led a prolonged road blockade demanding urgent action to protect the forest.

Locals allege that rubber plantations are being illegally established on forest land. This encroachment is not only destroying valuable natural trees like Sal and Teak, but also putting the very existence of the forest at risk.

According to the protesters, a few unscrupulous individuals have illegally started rubber cultivation on land managed by the JFM Committee. Despite these activities happening openly, the Forest Department remains inactive. As one protester remarked, “The forest department seems to be sleeping with oil on its nose!”

The most shocking allegation is that those who stepped forward to protect the forest — the JFM members — are themselves being falsely implicated in cases filed by the forest department. This has enraged the local community.

The key demands of the protestors are: clearly demarcate the land under JFM jurisdiction, remove illegal rubber plantations, and withdraw the false cases filed against JFM members.

Officials from the forest department and local administration arrived at the scene and attempted to de-escalate the situation. JFM members claimed that of the 150 hectares of forest land under their management, about 80% has already been destroyed and converted into illegal rubber plantations and housing.

Eventually, a senior forest official (D.F.O. H. Bigness) assured the protestors that by the 20th of this month, the 150 hectares of land would be officially handed over to the JFM Committee, and steps would be taken to withdraw the false cases filed against the members.

Following this assurance, the protestors ended their blockade. However, they warned that if their demands are not met by 20 August, they will launch an even larger movement