Poaching has come down, but man-animal conflicts have increased, said Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Eshwar B Khandre, in conversation with TNIE. He said it is ironic that on one hand land for compensatory afforestation is being given for mining, while struggle is on for rehabilitating the displaced who lost their land for government projects, like Sharavathi.
What are the challenges in enhancing the green cover?
The challenge is clearing encroachments. In Karnataka, over 2lakh acres of forest land has been encroached. Cases are pending before the High Court and Supreme Court. In the Godavarman judgment, the SC has said that once a forest, always a forest. In Bengaluru, over 2,000 acres of forest land is encroached.
Directions have been issued to start clearing large encroachments, and in the last 15 months, around 6,000-7,000 acres of forest land has been recovered. Many initiatives and reforms have been done in our department. Today, the universal challenge is climate change and global warming. We have to conserve forests and wildlife.
Soon after I took charge, I issued orders to increase forest cover from the existing 22% to 33%, which is the standard. I instructed officers to annually plant five crore saplings. Last year, 5.48 crore saplings were planted, while this year, 3.5 crore saplings have been planted.
Around 85% survival rate has been reported, which has been confirmed through a third-party audit. Orders have also been issued to geo-tag the saplings and put information in public domain.
Is there any reason to clear only large encroachments?
Small encroachments have taken place which might be due to the negligence of forest officials. The Forest Rights Act (FRA) came into force in 2006 and the Forest Conservation Act in 1980. Before implementing FRA, forest-dwellers should have been rehabilitated or lands should have been given to them, which was not done. In 2006, the government invited applications from those residing inside forests. Over one lakh applications were received, of which only 5% were found eligible. We cannot displace them suddenly.
Do you think the forest and environment departments get their due importance?
The departments were not taken seriously earlier and an example of this is the Sharavathi case, which was a significant project. Thousands of people were displaced. Back then, they were rehabilitated in forest areas. As per rules, if someone is displaced to forest areas before the 1980s and the land has been denotified, then it can be allotted to anyone.
This is a central government stand and an SC order. But this was not done then. During the previous Siddaramaiah government, the land was allotted through a cabinet decision. But it was challenged in courts and quashed by the HC and SC, stating that it was not as per law. They said that if land has to be allotted for rehabilitation, then the permission of SC and central government is needed. So now an IA has been filed in the SC.
Is this the only case?
Such exploitation and injustice has been happening for years and we have not been able to address it. There are thousands of people who can’t sell their land, avail agricultural loans or any benefit from government schemes. Another case is the Bhadra project. Some have been rehabilitated, but they are yet to get their rights. It is said only politically, but not done on the ground.
Are you taking up a consolidated survey of displaced people affected due to various projects?
I have spoken to the revenue and irrigation ministers. We have to sit together and formulate a policy as it is a collective responsibility of revenue and irrigation departments. People who stayed there for years have been thrown out. This is the reality. There should be a joint survey by forest and revenue departments. In some cases, the revenue department has no land records. I have planned to make a note of all these things and appeal to the SC to consider these cases on humanitarian grounds as people have been living there and this is their right.
What will happen in future when projects like Mekedatu come up?
Nobody will be displaced for any project. Forest areas are demarcated. No land can be given until forest clearance is obtained. Agencies, including from the state/central governments or others, have to apply through Parivesh portal and there are set rules. They have to give land for compensatory afforestation (CA) along with net present value. Proposals are then sent to the central government, where a committee examines the proposal. Sanctions are given only for site-specific projects.
What about tribals living inside forests?
Rehabilitation of tribals staying in conservation reserves is a problem. In some cases, they have been staying legally in the forests for centuries, but don’t have any basic infrastructure, including electricity or roads. Though it is their own land, they cannot do anything. On one hand, we are giving land for mining, in exchange for CA lands and money for afforestation; on the other it is their own land and we are not giving them anything.
This is a serious issue to be looked into. They should be brought into the mainstream. Either we have to give them infrastructure, education and healthcare facilities, or shift them by giving some special packages. There is one package, where a family gets Rs 15 lakh if they shift out. In some cases, it has been done, like Bhadra Tiger Reserve where around 736 families have moved out. It is a success story in India. Rehabilitation is required.
Why has the tribal relocation programme stopped?
It has not stopped. Budgetary allocation is very less. Around Rs 5-10 crore is allocated annually. I will submit a proposal to the finance department and to the chief minister for a one-time sanction of Rs 150-200 crore so that we can shift them all.
What is the rate of wildlife offences and poaching in the state?
It has come down to around 1%. There are around 200 anti-poaching camps and around 1,000 people work there. We have 6,395 elephants and 563 tigers. Animal population is increasing, but not the forest area. Human population is also increasing.
We have residential layouts till the edge of forests and they are only increasing. People have to learn to coexist with animals. Poaching has come down, but man-animal conflicts have increased. Eco- sensitive zones and buffer zones have come down. We need to be very strict on this.
What challenges the forest department is facing in handling the weed invasion in forests?
Weeds are a major issue, particularly in Nagarahole and Bandipur Tiger Reserves. Nearly 50% of forest is covered by invasive species. The limited allocation of funds of around Rs 3-5crore makes it difficult to tackle the issue. Some volunteer organisations have come forward, but they need financial support from the department or CSR funds to carry out the work. Uprooting weeds is a challenge as it needs to be done manually. Weeds also contribute to man-animal conflict, as animals are forced to leave forests.
There are many issues with the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board in clearing projects, addressing air and water pollution and postings. Why is the situation still unresolved?
I completely agree. The Board is a statutory body, with the chairman serving a three-year term, along with other members. There is significant room for improvement in addressing challenges, especially of air and water pollution. Like, sewage treatment plants not functioning properly, and issues like e-waste, oil waste, and construction waste need to be handled effectively. We need the right people in place to address these problems. We are pushing for reforms, but it will take time to see tangible results.
How is climate change contributing to disasters?
Landslides in Shirur and Wayanad highlight the growing impact of climate change. Addressing these climate-related challenges requires more than just laws and regulations. Awareness is crucial. Enforcing climate regulations is also difficult, as we don’t have the capacity to handle thousands of cases at once.
HMT land has become a much-talked about subject. It has almost become a confrontational issue with the central government...
There is no question of confrontation with anyone. HMT land of around 599 acres is forest department land and there is a gazette notification stating the land belongs to the forest department. In 1963, the Urban Development Department, without any approval from the state government, handed it over to HMT.
In 2006, they started selling land, sold nearly 163 acres and earned Rs 313 crore. Some wrong decisions have also been made by the department officials. It is government land and will be taken back. The additional chief secretary has been instructed to issue a show-cause notice to officials who were involved.
What will happen now?
We have to follow the rules. Third party rights have been created on properties now due to negligence of then government officers. Around 280 acres of land is still vacant. We can give alternative land. HMT has another 100 acres in Bengaluru. HMT did not sell its land, but sold forest land. In exchange, they can give this land to the department. Now the case is before the Supreme Court. The aim is to create a lung space like Lal Bagh or Cubbon Park in the reclaimed forest land.
What about the Kasturi Rangan Report?
The central government issued a notification for the sixth time. The report came out in 2013. There have been a lot of changes in the last 11 years. The report recommended declaring 20,664 sqkm as environmentally sensitive area (ESA) involving 1,499 villages in 39 taluks of 10 districts in the Western Ghats. People are apprehensive that their livelihoods will be affected if the entire area is protected.
But that is not the case. If the law is enacted, it can be misused which is another apprehension. We had a detailed discussion with all the stakeholders -- panchayats, MLAs and CM. All MLAs rejected the report. It was suggested that of the 20,664 sqkm, around 16,100 sqkm is already protected, which is 83%. Right now, we have rejected it. The government of India may finalise the notification. Then we will have to go to SC.
What about leadership change in Karnataka?
There is no question of change in leadership and it is irrelevant. It is only being done to divert people’s attention. Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar are giving a very good government. Opposition parties are jealous of the success of the Congress government. Unfortunately, the central government uses all sorts of things like IT, CBI and ED to threaten leaders. We will face them politically.
BJP is alleging that the government is using caste census for political gains. What do you have to say about it?
It was mentioned in our manifesto that a caste census will be done. In my opinion, the central government should have done it in the interest of social justice. Here, a socio-economic survey including educational status was conducted and recently the report was submitted to the government.
No one knows what’s in the report. A few communities are apprehensive that it may lead to injustice and that the survey is not done scientifically. But the CM has assured them that no injustice will be meted out to any community. The report is not yet implemented and we will discuss its pros and cons.
The BJP is also demanding internal reservation among Scheduled Castes...
First, BJP is against reservation. If they are so concerned, let them prevail on the central government to implement it. Many BJP leaders have openly opposed internal reservation. However, the SC has ruled that it has to be implemented by state governments. We have promised in our manifesto and we will take action after taking everyone into confidence.