BENGALURU: The state government on Wednesday issued a notification declaring 1,494.38 acres of reserve forest land at Mamadapura Gram Panchayat in Vijayapura as Shri Siddeshwara Swamiji Biodiversity Heritage Site.
Forest Minister Eshwar B Khandre told reporters that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will dedicate the heritage site to the people on January 2, the death anniversary of the swami. The forest cover in Kalyana Karnataka region is around 5% and in Vijayapura, it is less than 1%. This declaration will boost the preservation of green cover, the minister said.
A senior forest official said declaring the forest land as a heritage site will enhance protection measures of the flora and fauna. The total land under the forest department in Vijayapura is 2,000 hectares. The heritage site also has two tanks which are under the custody of the minor irrigation department.
“The proposal was made three months ago. There is no human habitation inside the forest patch. The Bahamani kingdom was based on the land and it was earlier covered with water bodies. In 200 hectares, the green cover has been increased using drip irrigation,” the official said.
The official pointed out that Vijayapura has the least forest cover in the state. “Usually heritage sites and conservation reserves are declared around Bengaluru or in the Western Ghat region. It is not always that land in the plains get such a tag. ,” the official added.
Khandre said the heritage site, a dry deciduous and scrub forest patch, houses leopards, Indian foxes, stripped hyenas, and other flora and fauna. Forest officials said in the coming times, the land will be promoted as an eco- tourism destination. A science centre and museum will also be established to showcase the biodiversity and contributions of Siddeshwara Swamiji.