Forest officials successfully reclaimed 27 acres of forest land in Madaba village, Channarayapatna taluk, Hassan district, on Sunday morning, acting upon Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre’s directives.
12 individuals had unlawfully occupied 26 acres and 33 guntas of forest land in Survey No. 27 of Madaba village, valued at approximately Rs 10-15 crore. The occupant had removed trees and established plantations. Minister Khandre ordered officials to initiate legal proceedings on October 23 after receiving complaints.
The protected forest area saw the forest department filing cases against those responsible for the unauthorised occupation and tree destruction. Officials conducted a site visit on Sunday morning, utilising JCB machines to clear the area, introduced indigenous plant species, and installed an identification plaque.
Local residents commended Minister Khandre’s intervention, noting that certain individuals had been fabricating documentation to occupy forest land, removing valuable trees, and establishing ginger plantations. Certain revenue department officials had been improperly allocating forest land.
The minister’s intervention has halted these unauthorised activities. The Madaba clearance operation stands as a caution to those occupying forest areas for ginger, coconut, coffee, and areca nut cultivation.
Chief Conservator of Forests Elukondalu, Deputy Conservator of Forests Saurabh, and additional officials were present during the operation.
The land in question was handed over to the Forest Department by the Revenue Department in 1987. However, around 12 individuals had created fake documents between 2005, falsely claiming land allotment. Notably, the land has been declared as deemed forest.
