Alleging harassment by the Forest Department in the name of clearing encroachments, residents of Hanbal hobli in Sakleshpur taluk of Hassan district have demanded the State government conduct a joint survey by the Forest and Revenue Departments and end the disputes over land ownership.
In a press conference in Hassan on Friday, B.K. Sundaresh, president of the struggle committee comprising residents of the villages around Murkannu Gudda forest, said that the Forest Department had been issuing notices to residents alleging that they had encroached upon forest land, notified as per Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act.
The residents of Achhanahalli, Nadahalli, Kadumane Gudda, Jambaradi, and neighbouring villages have been facing this problem. “We have been cultivating the land for several decades. Even those who have records of land grants have been getting notices”, he said.
