Meera Bhardwaj:
Hassan district sees a new beginning with clearance of forest encroachments which has a whopping 6000 acres of forest land being encroached. Albeit a small start, 27 acres was cleared in Channarayapatna taluk, Hassan district, Karnataka.
Out of 6000 acres of encroachment, nearly 4000 acres of forest land has been encroached in Hassan taluk alone. The remaining 8 taluks have about encroachments of 500 acres each excepting Sakleshpura where 200-300 acres have been encroached in Murkinagudda and Bisleghat. Presently, inquiry is under progress to clear the forest encroachments.
On Sunday morning, JCBs arrived to clear forest land (worth Rs 10-15 crore) that had been encroached in Madaba village. Following the instructions of Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre, forest officials cleared 26.33 acres of forest land.
In Madaba village, survey no. 27, some people had encroached on 26.33 acres of forest land. The encroachers had felled hundreds of trees and converted a recorded forest into a plantation land. Based on the complaint received in this regard, Eshwar Khandre had sent instructions on October 23, 2024 to take legal action.
It was in 1985 that the state govt had handed over this land to Karnataka Forest Department and it became a recorded forest with plantation of various local species like honge, neem, mango, acacia, etc in 1987. However, in 2005, this recorded forest was illegally occupied by 12 persons in Madaba village by manipulating the land records.
Speaking to Green Minute, Conservator of Forests, Hassan Circle, V Yedukondalu said, “They had forged land grant committee proceedings and allotted the land to themselves. It was in 2008; FIR was booked and inquiry revealed that they were all forged documents. Later in 2022, the jurisdictional ACF booked a case under the Karnataka Forest Act in the aftermath of the inquiry which showed every document had been forged. The Revenue department which was further informed also found that documents were forged.”
In 2024, an appeal was filed by the encroachers before the conservator of forests, however, on May 3rd, final orders were passed for removal of the encroachment in Survey no:27. The said land of 26.33 acres is a recorded forest, and the Karnataka Forest Department registered a case against the encroachers who had destroyed local species and had taken up plantation of ginger, coconut, maize, etc.
On May 18th, Hassan Forest officials went to the spot, cleared the forest land in a dawn to dusk operation amidst the presence of 100 police personnel and 150 forest staff. After clearance, the KFD planted jamun, honne, rosewood, and local varieties of saplings. Finally, a signboard was put up to declare the recovery of the forest land. “This is a new beginning in Hassan district and rest of the encroached forest land too will be recovered after due process is followed,” said the CF, Hassan Circle.
The local villagers came in support of the KFD and did not hinder the process of recovery of encroached forest land.
According to a local activist, such illegalities have been curbed after Eshwar Khandre became the Forest Minister. “The Madaba forest clearance is a warning bell for those who have been encroaching on forest lands in Karnataka with Shivamogga district topping in forest encroachments.”