Committee set up to review extent of deemed forest in Karnataka, to submit report within 6 months: Minister Eshwar Khandre

In the wake of confusion over the extent of deemed forest in Karnataka and the problems being faced by farmers, a review committee had been constituted to look into the issue and assess the actual extent of deemed forest, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre has said.

Replying to the queries raised by members in his reply to a starred question by Bangarpet MLA S.N. Narayanaswamy in the legislative Assembly on December 11, Mr. Khandre pointed out that it was during the previous BJP-led government’s tenure that an affidavit about the State having 3,30,000 lakh hectares of deemed forest was filed before the Supreme Court.

However, it had caused lot of confusion and problems to farmers in many places, resulting in legislators raising the issue and seeking remedial measures. Consequently the government had constituted a review committee to assess the actual extent of deemed forest, and a joint survey by officials of Forest and Revenue departments had been ordered, he said.

Responding to the concerns raised by several members of both the ruling and opposition parties, including C.C. Patil, Sunilkumar, Araga Jnanendra, and Sharada Puryanaik, he said that the review committee would be submitting its report within six months. “But, prior to that, officials have been instructed to place the information  on deemed forests, including the survey numbers, during the review meeting of Karnataka Development Programmes, and also provide information to all the legislators”, he said.

He added that a mobile application was being developed to assist in the joint survey, and would be released soon.

To another question raised by Mr. Narayanaswamy, Mr. Khandre clarified that as per a Supreme Court order, a land once declared as forest would remain as such unless FC (Forest Clearance) was declared by competent authorities. The same applied to village forests. To sort out issues being faced by farmers in taking up cultivation on land identified as village forest, a meeting would be convened, particularly with regard to Kolar district, he said.

Replying to an allegation by Mr. Narayanaswamy that families were being evicted from the land that they had been cultivating for the last five decades, Mr. Khandre clarified that no such thing had been done, but would look into specific cases.