Karnataka Forest Minister orders formation of Special Task Force to clear forest land encroachments
Bengaluru: Karnataka Environment and Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has taken a step to address the issue of forest land encroachments in the state. He has directed the additional chief secretary for forest, ecology, and environment, Jawaid Akhtar, to establish a state-level task force to clear forest land encroachments.
Additionally, the minister has instructed the creation of a separate task force specifically for Bengaluru, where forest encroachments are a daily occurrence.
The directives were issued on September 22 and call for the task forces to comprise officials from various departments, including forest, revenue, home, urban development, rural development, and Panchayati raj.
Minister Khandre emphasized the importance of protecting forested areas, even those with a history of land records dating back a century. He noted that any alterations to the forest landscape can have adverse ecological consequences. Despite the existence of land records, forested areas continue to face encroachments, leading to disruptions in the ecological balance.
The minister acknowledged the coordination between the forest department and the revenue department but stressed the forest department's responsibility for preserving and scientifically managing designated forest areas and freeing them from encroachments. He expressed concern that the eviction of encroachers often stalls due to legal challenges and that encroachment cases have not been consistently pursued to resolution.
These task forces would focus on clearing various encroachment cases and expediting the resolution of pending eviction cases, even if they are at different stages of the legal process. He recommended that the task forces be headed by senior forest department officials and include experts from relevant departments.
Moreover, the minister highlighted the importance of providing government lawyers with access to relevant land records and satellite maps to facilitate the settlement of encroachment cases.
According to the Karnataka Forest Department's Annual Report 2022-23, the state witnesses over 1,000 forest encroachment cases annually. Between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023, the forest department registered 992 encroachment cases. As of March 31, 2023, a backlog of 45,071 encroachment cases existed within the department. During the same period, only 463 cases were disposed of, leaving 44,608 cases pending resolution.
In Bengaluru Urban district alone, out of a total of 16,988 acres of forest land, 2,871.37 acres are encroached upon, as reported by Minister Khandre in July to the Legislative Council.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
