MALKANGIRI/BHUBANESWAR: The Forest department on Tuesday directed Malkangiri forest division to probe the alleged encroachment of around 100 acre forest land in the district for the establishment of what is called ‘Islam Nagar.’
Acting on a notice from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the department directed Malkangiri DFO to make a site visit, find out whether the land in question is forest in category and submit a report, principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Debidutta Biswal told The New Indian Express.
The NGT had taken taken suo motu cognizance of the alleged encroachment of 100 acre forest land basing on a report which appeared in Organiser, the RSS mouthpiece, on September 30. The land in question is located near National Highway 326 surrounded by forests along Saveri river bank in Motu.
The article which called it “Land Jihad” alleged the encroached site saw construction of buildings, roads and other infrastructure including building of a mud road and wire fencing.
“The construction was allegedly funded through various government schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Empowerment Guarantee Act with over Rs 9 lakh spent on road construction,” the NGT stated quoting the article. A large pond was also allegedly excavated, warehouses built and transformers installed in violation of Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and Environmental Protection Act, 1986.
The tribunal registered the petition suo moto and its principal bench of Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Dr A Senthil Vel issued notices to PCCF and Malkangiri collector.
Contacted, Malkangiri collector Ashish Iswar Patil said the DFO has been asked to probe into the matter. It is a mix of revenue forest and revenue land and any construction of house or other structure on revenue forest land is illegal, he added.
“We could not remove or demolish the illegally constructed structure and house as there is a stay by Orissa High Court against the eviction order of 2022. The tehsildar has filed a counter affidavit in HC and memo for early listing of the case for removal of the stay order,” he said adding, the Advocate General has been requested to follow up the matter.
About an illegal medicine processing unit operating on the land, he said, it was seized and sealed since it was not in accordance with the clinical establishment norms. The illegal house and other structures made on the revenue forest land can be demolished after the stay order is vacated, he added.
Patil informed that some works were reportedly carried out with help of government schemes and the road was also constructed under MGNREGA which the tehsildar is probing into.