BENGALURU: A senior MLA is among the 50 people who have encroached upon reserve forest land worth Rs 11,000 crore in Bengaluru North taluk.
According to information obtained through an RTI application, the MLA alone has encroached around 5.5 acres of forest land worth Rs 324 crore. The land has a lawn of 60,000 sqft, a helipad and other lavish facilities. Official records accessed by TNIE revealed that the property of the MLA off the new Airport Road still bears the name, “Jakkur Plantation”, the original name of the reserve forest in the records.
The Mysore Gazette dated September 26, 1940, shows 177 acres and 28 guntas as reserve forest land bearing survey numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 at Jakkur Allalasandra in Bengaluru North taluk.
When contacted the MLA said, “It is all clean and neat. We are not aware. The high court has decided that it is not forest land. Apartments have been built and prominent personalities live there.’’
When the forest department sought records from revenue officials, the special tahsildar pointed out that most of them had been destroyed.
The ACF, who pursued this case, was issued a notice. Part of this land has also been encroached by two businessmen, who are brothers. They have 13,05,000 sqft of land worth Rs 19,57,50,00,000.
Khandre: Will look into encroachment issue
Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has been facing a running battle with those who have encroached upon the forest land, many of whom are prominent politicians.
In the recently concluded Legislative Assembly session, some MLAs sought penal action against some forest officers, including a DCF, for protecting the forest land from encroachers.
Informed sources said usually politicians and their benamis encroach upon the forest land. The encroached forest land is worth over Rs 20 lakh crore.
Minister Khandre said, “The state government is serious about clearing encroachments and recovering forest land. We will look into this issue and take action.’’