HUBBALLI: Samaja Parivartana Samudaya (SPS) chief S R Hiremath on Monday said the High Court had directed the state government to file a status report on forest land allegedly grabbed by Adichunchanagiri Mutt while hearing an interlocutory application (IA) filed by SPS in support of its public interest petition.
Releasing documents to the media to substantiate his allegations that the mutt had encroached upon a portion of Turahalli reserve forest in Bengaluru South taluk, Hiremath said the IA clearly shows how the mutt had blatantly grabbed the land and how the administration had failed to retake it despite an order from the assistant conservator of forests in August 2009.
Hiremath said the mutt had encroached upon 7.35 acres of forest land and the Forest Department had filed two cases against the mutt’s Balagangadharanatha Swami and Puttaraju, principal of SBJ Institute of Technology, Kengeri. The mutt had also allegedly grabbed 16.15 acres of revenue land in Kengeri village.
Hiremath claimed that the mutt itself had expressed willingness to return the forest land, but did not keep the promise.
It later allegedly wrote to the then minister R Ashok, who requested the then chief minister B S Yeddyurappa to allow the mutt to use the forest land in
exchange for some other land. “The government has no authority to decide on forest offence cases,” the activist said.
Later, in August 2009, the then assistant conservator of forests B Jayaram passed an order to clear the encroachment within 30 days. But five years have passed and no one has taken action, Hiremath said.