Forest dept to recover 7500 acres of forest land leased to industrialists in Mysuru: Minister

NT Correspondent

Mysuru: State forest minister Eshwar Khandre on Saturday said that he directed the forest department officials to take back 7500 acres of forest land that was leased to big industrialists to take up rubber, coffee and other plantation crops cultivation in Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and Kodagu districts.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference held at Aranya Bhavan in the city, the minister said that over thousands of acres of forest land were leased to big industrialists like Birla and others during the British era for a period of 99 years.

Many of them are still cultivating rubber, coffee, and other plantation crops even after completion of 99 years of lease period, and some even approached the court against the forest department.

He said that he gave directions to forest department officials to reclaim its land from such cultivators, leaving the court disputed cases.

His department will release a list of such cultivators very shortly. His government has also constituted a committee headed by senior forest department officials as well as appointed senior advocates to deal with court cases to clear disputes related to forest land encroachments as well to reclaim the forest land leased to industrialists.

As over more than two lakh hectares of forest land encroached by vested interests across the states, he said that both revenue and forest department officials have also conducted joint surveys of such land.

Instructions have been given to them to intensify their drive against clearing such encroachments to reclaim the forest land by vested interests including various temple authorities across the state.

His gover nment has cleared over 2000 hectares of forest land encroachments in the last six months in Benagluru surroundings alone, worth crores of rupees, he said.

No proposal to lift night traffic

The minister said there is no proposal before his government to lift the night traffic ban for vehicles passing through national highways in Bandipur Tiger reserve.

Except emergency, ambulance, vegetables carrying, two Kerala state run transport buses, movement of all other vehicles banned from 6 pm to 6 am along the Bandipur stretch.

The minister also dismissed the allegations of drone surveys for Nanjangud- Nilambur railway route to Tamil Nadu, other railway routes to Kerala passing through the tiger reserves.

His government will not allow disturbances in the forest, and will also not give permission for such surveys.