Moorukannu Gudda in Sakleshpur in Hassan district is an expanse of lush shola forest that is home to several species of wildlife and over two dozen freshwater streams that feed rivers originating from Western Ghats. Today, it is threatened by human intervention as government departments bicker over its status.
The 7,938-acre shola forest that is part of the Western Ghats, recognised as one of the biological hotspots in the world and notified as an ecologically sensitive area by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, has now become a bone of contention between the Forest Department that claims the area to be a notified forest and the Revenue Department, that is accused of granting land for various activities over the years, insisting it is revenue land.
This has resulted in alleged “encroachment” of over 2,000 acres, including about 1,510 acres of land granted through 508 grants so far by the Revenue Department, Forest officials say. About 611 acres has been marked as encroachments, mostly by coffee estates, residential homes and 20 resorts. At least 122 FIRs have been filed against such “encroachments” by Forest Department, multiple documents with The Hindu show.
