Daijiworld Media Network – Kadaba
Kadaba, Sep 27: Acting on the directions of the higher appellate authority and the conservator of forests, Mangaluru circle, forest officials cleared encroached reserve forest land at Yenekallu village in Kadaba taluk on Friday.
According to reports, Kumar P had allegedly encroached on 1.44 acres of reserve forest land in Yenekallu village, where he had constructed a building and taken up cultivation. A complaint was lodged with the Lokayukta, following which an investigation was carried out. Based on the Lokayukta’s directive, the CCF, Mangaluru, ordered Sullia ACF and Panja range forest officers to investigate the matter and submit a report.
As per the findings, Kumar was instructed to vacate the encroached forest land, along with the buildings and crops, within seven days. He was warned that if he failed to comply, Panja forest officials would initiate eviction measures. Since the encroached land was not vacated, officials carried out the operation on Friday.
During the drive, forest officials removed two-year-old arecanut, banana, and cashew plantations from the encroached site and planted forest saplings in their place. The operation was carried out in the presence of Sullia ACF Prashanth Kumar Pai, Panja range forest officer Sandhya, Subrahmanya range forest officer Vimal Babu, other officials, and staff.
The eviction drive sparked anger among locals. It is reported that Kadaba tahsildar had issued land rights (hakupatra) to Kumar for the same 1.44 acres. Family members and villagers expressed strong dissatisfaction with the removal of crops, raising objections against the forest department. When locals protested against the use of a JCB to clear crops, the officials resorted to manually removing the plants.
In Dakshina Kannada district, the lack of a proper demarcation between forest and revenue lands has been creating hurdles for people in obtaining land rights under government schemes. As a result, even those who have received hakupatras fear the possibility of cancellation. Locals have urged authorities to conduct joint surveys in areas facing forest-related disputes and to complete boundary demarcation work at the earliest.