BENGALURU: The Karnataka Forest Department has decided to reopen the Kadugodi land case and file a petition in the Supreme Court. The department is already fighting a legal battle to recover land in Peenya which is under the possession of HMT.
According to forest department records, a parcel of 1,901 acres in Kadugodi plantation spread across 711 acres was handed over to the state forest department and in 1907, it was declared a reserve forest.
“Later in the 1960s, portions of the land was used by the police and 141 acres was handed over the police department.
Also, 400 acres was used for the creation of Dinnur Layout and agricultural purposes. Over time, it was cancelled and the State Government handed over the land to Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB).
After distributing land for industries and for other purposes, only 120 acres of land is now left. But we are in possession of only 69 acres. We are working to file an appeal in the Supreme Court to recover all the unused land and green patches in the area,” said a senior forest official on condition of anonymity.
“We are working to file a curative petition in the Supreme Court to recover all the undeveloped land in the KIADB land issue. We are also ascertaining what ramifications it will have,” Karnataka Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Eshwar B Khandre told tnie.
It may be recalled that the department had lost the earlier appeals in these cases in the Karnataka High Court and the Supreme Court.