By Arun Pratap SinghGarhwal Post Bureau
Nainital, 18 Mar: Uttarakhand High Court has granted interim relief to the farmers in Udham Singh Nagar in a matter concerning summer paddy cultivation, while hearing a petition challenging an administrative order issued by the district authorities. The administrative orders had restricted summer paddy cultivation in the state, particularly in district Udham Singh Nagar.
The Court today intervened in the order and permitted the farmers to continue with paddy cultivation, bringing much-needed clarity and relief to those affected. The matter was heard by a single bench of Justice Pankaj Purohit.
The petition had been filed by farmers challenging the government order issued on 4 February, 2026, by the District Magistrate of Udham Singh Nagar, which had directed all the SDMs to destroy unauthorised summer paddy nurseries and to allow paddy cultivation only in waterlogged areas. The petitioners submitted before the Court that they are residents of Gadarpur tehsil and own agricultural land at different locations, many of which do not fall under the category of waterlogged areas. They argued that the administrative order violated their legal rights and questioned the legal basis under which such directions had been issued.
After hearing the matter, the High Court, while granting interim relief, observed that the interests of the petitioners must be protected. It further stated that until the next date of hearing, the farmers shall be permitted to prepare nurseries and undertake summer paddy cultivation. The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled for 2 April.
The decision brings considerable relief to farmers who were facing uncertainty regarding their crops due to the administrative restrictions. However, the issue of summer paddy cultivation continues to raise serious environmental concerns. Paddy cultivation requires substantial quantities of water, and off-season cultivation in the summer months what is India called as Zaid season which falls between the Rabi and Kharif crop seasons, often leads to excessive extraction of groundwater through tube wells, resulting in rapid depletion of water tables. During the summer months, rainfall is negligible and the crop depends largely on ground water for irrigation since the rivers and canals fed irrigation also remains very inadequate. Paddy crops are known to guzzle water in huge quantity. Zaid season cultivation of paddy crops has already caused significant ecological stress in states such as Punjab, where large-scale paddy cultivation has led to alarming groundwater decline. Similar trends are being observed in UP and also parts of Uttarakhand, particularly in districts like Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar, where increased reliance on groundwater for irrigation is emerging as a matter of concern. The administration has maintained that regulating summer paddy cultivation is essential to ensuring sustainable water management. It remains to be seen, what final decision is delivered by Nainital High Court on the next date of hearing but, for the time being, the farmers have been permitted to sow and raise the paddy nursery.
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