|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
By Category |
 |
|
|
| |
|
| |
| |
India On Media |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Others
News |
|
| Kumaraswamy seeks report |
| view of the Western Ghats. In December 2002, the Government said 98,978 hectares of forest land has been encroached upon.
|
| INDIA
, 17-May-2007
1:37:24 AM |
| Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday gave the Forest Department three months to prepare a detailed report on the status of encroachments in forests in Chikmagalur, Hassan, Kodagu, Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada and Shimoga districts.
A committee comprising officials from the departments of Forests, Revenue, Panchayati Raj and Public Works will be set up to compile the report.
At a meeting of elected representatives from Uttara Kannada and other districts to discuss various pending issues, Mr. Kumaraswamy took the Forest Department officials to task for being insensitive to forest-dwellers' problems and emphasising more on implementing anti-people forest laws, ostensibly to comply with Supreme Court directives on evicting people who have encroached upon forest lands after the cut-off date of 1978 in violation of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.
"I have been one of the most liberal Chief Ministers, never interfering in officials' daily work. Instead of showing results, all you seem to have done is ensure that the forest dwellers, who have been living there for centuries, are constantly harassed," he said.
Legislators from these districts had told him that tribal and non-tribal people were not able to access housing loans from the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporation or other housing schemes. During the monsoon, alternative arrangements were not made for housing nor were measures taken to ensure that their huts were not washed away, he said.
Mr. Kumaraswamy said the officials went on a spree of retrieving encroached forest land forgetting that these "encroachers" had at one time been the protectors of the forests, long before the Forest Department had been created.
"In fact, I think we have lost more forests and wildlife after they came under your protection," he said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ADVERTISEMENTS
Free offer!!! Become an administrator for your zip home page, "Post" local news (local to your postcode)& pictures, "Post" advertisement banners from local companies. Make Extra money.
|
 |
 |
|
|
| |
|
