School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa presiding over the Karnataka Development Program review meeting at Shivamogga on November 28. Photo credit: SK Dinesh
School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa has directed forest department officials not to issue notices to farmers on allegations of encroachment on forest land unless there are court directions.
At a Karnataka Development Program review meeting at Shivamogga on November 28, Mr. Bangarappa, who is also the in-charge minister of the district, directed the foresters to inform the deputy commissioner before taking any action regarding the alleged interference. “We have issued instructions several times regarding issuing notices to farmers. If the officials continue to do the same, we will have to take action against them,” he said.
Araga Jnanendra, a former minister and Tirthahalli MLA, said the forest department had in some cases declared entire villages as forest, leaving cultivators and residents in trouble. “There are several families who got their lands sanctioned decades ago. If the Forest Department now wants to file a case against them, they should include the officials responsible for sanctioning these lands. If there is any malpractice in sanctioning, the officers should be held responsible, not the innocent growers,” he argued.
Sharada Puryanaik, Shivamogga Rural MLA, said that in her constituency too, many people suffered due to the notices issued by the forest officials. “Officers are issuing notices to farmers to bring all documents and records related to their land. The ministry should stop harassing these poor people whose land has been sanctioned by the revenue department long ago,” she noted. Similarly, Belur Gopalakrishna, Sagar MLA, said that the officials should not issue the notification as the joint survey of the land by officials of the revenue and forest departments was yet to be completed.
Deputy Commissioner Gurudatta Hegde said the district administration has completed the survey of the land given to people displaced due to irrigation projects. “There have been around 2,000 applications across the district from people who argued that their land was not included. Our officials are disposing of these applications. We will soon start surveying the supposed forest. Legislators have an opportunity to raise questions about the supposed forests,” he added.
The meeting was attended by elected representatives and officials of various departments.
Published – 28 Nov 2025 20:04 IST
