BENGALURU: Forest Minister Eshwar B Khandre on Wednesday instructed his department officials to reclaim 444.12 acres of forest lands in the possession of the Indian Air Force in Jarakabande Kaval reserve forest patch and in Peenya Plantations.
This comes days after Khandre issued directions and served notice to recover the land in possession of HMT in Peenya.
Khandre said the land parcels in contention with IAF are forest patches and should be recovered as per forest rules. He said of the total 570 acres of land parcels allotted to the IAF in 1987, the state government issued an order in 2017 cancelling the sanction of the 452 acres. However, IAF continues to be in possession of the land. Both the land parcels are listed as forest lands in government records.
Khandre has suggested to the IAF to apply for forest clearance and change of land use on the Parivesh Portal, managed by the ministry of environment, forests and climate change. “The IAF started construction work illegally in the area on March 1 without obtaining forest clearance. I have now been informed by the forest department and have ordered them to stop the work and recover the land,” he said.
The forest department has brought the matter to the notice of the IAF and, on Khandre’s orders, put up a board on Wednesday in both the land parcels saying it is forest land. “A letter has also been written to the ministry of defence to get the land parcel cleared,” he said.
According to forest officials, of the total 570 acres in IAF’s possession, 94 acres is in Peenya and the remaining 476 acres in Jarakabande kaval.“We wrote to the defence ministry multiple times asking them to return the land parcels in both places.
On most occasions, there was no response. But on one occasion, they said they had paid Rs 50,000 per acre for 288 acres. But as per government rules and orders, forest land cannot be sold. Besides, the land parcels in contention have not been denotified. We have also asked the defence to return the land parcel in Gantiganahalli state forest in Yelahanka where the Aero India air show is held,” a senior forest official told TNIE.
There was no response from defence spokespersons.