Image showing a police report. For representational purposes.
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Balehonnur (Chikkamagaluru): Forest department officials have issued a notice to Horanadu Ramnarayana Joshi, accusing him of encroaching on 46 acres of reserved forest land and summoning him for an inquiry. Joshi is also a trustee of the Horanadu Annapoorneshwari Temple.
The notice from the Balehonnur Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) stated that Ramanarayana Joshi has illegally encroached on 26 acres in survey number 166 and 20 acres in survey number 175 of the Horanadu forest area in the Kalasa range, which is a punishable offence. The Kalasa range forest officer has registered a case under the Karnataka Forest Act.
The notice further mentioned that action is recommended under Section 64(a) of the Forest Act and summoned Joshi to appear before the Balehonnur ACF.
Meanwhile, the range forest officer (RFO) and deputy range forest officer (DRFO) have also been instructed to attend the inquiry with all relevant documents, including survey maps and records.
Following the landslide disaster in Wayanad in Kerala, Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre had ordered the formation of a task force to clear forest encroachments in the Western Ghats region of the state.