The Forest Department officials have recovered 148 acres encroached by the land mafia in and around Srinivasapura town in Kolar district.
Following instructions from Forest and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre, the department officials began the operation in the wee hours of Wednesday and recovered the forest land, according to a press release.
Encroachers grabbed the forest land in the 1990s and constructed buildings. Earthmovers cleared all construction and recovered the land, the release said.