Continuing its encroachment eviction drive the Forest Department on Friday recovered 15 acres of forest land at the Jarakabande Kaval Sandalwood Reserve Forest. Around 15 acres of land on survey numbers 18 and 19 at the Jarakabande Kaval Sandalwood Reserve Forest has been recovered.
This is the second encroachment clearance operation carried out by the department following Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre’s direction to recover encroached forest land in and around Bengaluru.
According to the Minister’s office in 2017, it was decided that the said land belongs to the Forest Department.
On August 10, 1932, 444 acres and 12 gunta of land was notified as Jarakabande sandalwood reserve. The said land was illegally allotted to the Indian Air Force in 1987. But the land was in HMT’s control, stated the release.
Recognising the argument of the forest department that the forest land cannot be allotted to any person or organisation, the Karnataka government in an order dated October 9, 2017, stated that 444 acres of land belongs to the Forest Department. On Friday 15 acres was reclaimed by the forest department.
