280 acres in Rangareddy district’s Sardarnagar to be declared reserve forest

The Telangana government has initiated the process of declaring 280.09 acres at Sardarnagar in Shamshabad Division of Rangareddy district as a Reserve Forest, marking a significant step towards protecting forest land from encroachment and ensuring its long-term conservation.

The notified land was originally assigned in 1977 by the then Rangareddy District Collector to the Social Forestry Department for raising plantations and undertaking forestry activities. Following the merger of the Social Forestry and Territorial Wings, a proposal to declare the area a Reserve Forest was initiated but remained pending for nearly 25 years due to administrative reasons and prolonged litigation, a note from the department said.

Recognising the ecological importance of securing the land, the department revived the long-pending proposal and undertook a comprehensive review. A fresh DGPS survey was conducted, updated maps were prepared, historical records were compiled and verified, and all necessary clearances were obtained from the Forest, Revenue and Law Departments before the proposal received the required approvals.

The notification marks a key milestone in the process of constituting the area as a Reserve Forest. It provides legal protection to the land while the remaining statutory process is completed, helping safeguard valuable government forest land from encroachment and ensuring its conservation for future generations, the statement said.