NGT imposes interim stay on Punjab Govt’s Farmhouse Policy
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, December 19, 2025: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed an interim stay on the Punjab government’s farmhouse policy, delivering a major setback to influential individuals who stood to benefit from it.
The policy had allowed construction within a fixed area per acre on delisted forest land in the Kandi region of Punjab. The Department of Housing and Urban Development had issued a notification in this regard on November 20. The move was expected to benefit politicians and senior bureaucrats who have constructed or planned farmhouses in the region.
The notification was challenged before the NGT on November 23 by the Council of Engineers. Council President Kapil Arora said the tribunal has stayed the policy till February 4 next year.
He added that the Punjab government’s notification prima facie violates directions issued by the Supreme Court as well as guidelines of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The petition argued that the state government permitted construction without conducting any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the area, which is mandatory under existing environmental norms.
The Kandi region, located in the Shivalik foothills, was earlier covered under the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900. A petition filed in the Supreme Court in 1995 resulted in a landmark verdict in 2005, under which certain areas were delisted subject to strict conditions. The apex court had allowed only agricultural activities or livelihood-related work for local residents in the delisted zones.
In accordance with the Supreme Court verdict, the Union Ministry of Environment delisted 56,050 hectares of land in the Kandi region, though the Punjab government had sought delisting of 65,270 hectares. In 2010, the Punjab Chief Secretary excluded the Forest Department from the delisted land; however, in 2015, the Union Environment Ministry clarified that such land could not be used for commercial or non-agricultural purposes.
Despite these restrictions, influential individuals had begun constructing farmhouses in the region, leading to the registration of a case against a farmhouse owner in 2022. In November this year, the Punjab government allowed limited construction per acre in the delisted area, a decision now put on hold following the NGT’s interim stay.