BENGALURU: For the past 20 days, it has been hectic for the forest officials as they have started recovering encroached forest land in the Anekal Range. Till now, the Karnataka Forest Department has recovered a whopping 120 acres, worth Rs 700-800 crore, on the fringes of Bannerghatta National Park (BNP).
The department moved to recover the lands after the High Court vacated the stay last year on a slew of writ petitions filed by encroachers. Forest officials said 180 acres had been encroached upon in Bhootanahalli Minor Forests (MF) to form a sprawling ‘Athithi Layout’ with about 300 sites sold to people under the garb of it being a revenue land.
Another 60 acres in this illegal layout still remain to be recovered. These forest lands were encroached upon by the owner of a college, a corporator, realtors, one retired DSP, land developers and politicians. Each of them had encroached upon about 10-20 acres.
Overcoming all political pressures and threats, the department started the process of recovery on August 17 and is still at it. The recovery process started under the directions of Chief Conservator of Forests Gokul, DCF Anthony Mariappa and ACF G Venkatesh.
150 acres of Bannerghatta forest land still with farmers
A lot of preparation went into it in the last three months involving proper documentation and study of all required legal proceedings by Range Forest Officer (RFO) S R Krishna. DRFOs Shiv Shankar and Balakrishna in Anekal Range and other staff were part of the recovery team. Speaking to The New Sunday Express, RFO Krishna said, “Three ranges – Kaggalipura, Bannerghatta and K R Puram -- with a staff of 100-150 have worked day and night to recover lands in Bhootanahalli.
They have worked every day withstanding all pressures and we did not take the help of the police. Another 60 acres need to be recovered.” The Bhootanahalli Minor Forests comprising 180 acres is part of Survey No. 67 and was completely encroached before 2006. During 2006-07, 86 forest offences cases were filed in the high court while 21 people went to the high court and filed a writ plea and another 17 in the Anekal JMFC.
Only two cases of 4 acres each went in favour of people while the rest in the forest department’s favour. So, with the vacation of the stay on Bhootanahalli MF, the department moved to recover the lands. However, litigation continues with respect to another 150 acres, still under the control of farmers.
The total area of Survey No. 67 is 539 acres and the department had in its custody only 118 acres. And the process to recover this big chunk of forest land has been going on for decades.