The Revenue Department on Thursday took over land in Mangala village near Bandipur Tiger Reserve on which former BJP MLC G Madhusudhan had set up a resort and demolished the structures built on it.

Regional commissioner M V Jayanthi had recently directed the deputy commissioner of Chamarajnagar district to reclaim the 30 acres of land in Hangala hobli. Then principal chief conservator of forests B J Hosmath had complained to the regional commissioner saying that Madhusudan had constructed a resort near an elephant corridor.

The order of the regional commissioner had said that Madhusudhan had violated the Karnataka Land Reforms Act while purchasing the land. It said permission had been granted to a non-agriculturist for purchasing an agricultural land without verifying the buyer's income. “This is an achievement for the department after a protracted legal tangle. Now, we have to ensure that the land is not encroached upon,” said a revenue department official.

The officials in the forest department too are happy. “The property has been recovered because of the efforts of Hosmath and former assistant commissioner of Kollegal Basavaraj. It is surprising that the chief minister transferred these officials and is now helping Madhusudhan get the rights back on the land,” said a forest department official from Bandipur Tiger Reserve, on condition of anonymity.