<p>Bengaluru: At a time when the Sharavathi Valley Lion Tailed Macaque (LTM) Wildlife Sanctuary is in focus due to the proposed pumped storage project, an activist has written to the Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court stating that thousands of acres in the sanctuary have been encroached.</p>.<p>Conservationist Girish Achar, whose struggle has led to recovery of over a thousand acres of forest, stated in his petition that the forest covered by the Nagavalli and Kanapagaru beats in the middle of the sanctuary in Shivamogga has been destroyed by vested interests who have now submitted application for legalisation of the same under ‘Bagair Hukum’.</p>.<p>“Apart from this, 34 acres and 38 guntas in survey number 125 has been illegally granted to 15 persons in 1994-95. Prior permission from the Union government is mandatory for diversion of forest land. However, the tahsildar, Sagar, has misused his power to make the grants,” the complaint said.</p>.Ferry service at Sharavathi river will now be a memory.<p>The Sharavathy Valley Sanctuary came into existence with a notification dated June 27, 1974.</p>.<p>Achar said that instead of fortifying the boundary and buffer zone, the forest officers have taken up a survey and agreed for erroneous boundaries in the middle of the sanctuary.</p>.<p>“The government issued the Sharavathy Valley LTM Sanctuary notification in 2019 to add Jog State Forest and Channakonda State Forest to the sanctuary that existed since 1974. Instead of surveying and settling the rights of the claims in the newly added areas, the forest officials are surveying the Govardhanagiri State Forest which was declared as sanctuary in 1974. This survey violates the Wildlife (Protection) Act and is aimed at helping vested interests,” he said.</p>.<p>Achar requested early recovery of the forest land and action against officers. “I myself have seen about 600 acres in Kanapagaru, 300 acres each in Nagavalli and Urulugallu over the last five years. Protecting these forests is crucial to reduce man-animal conflict here,” he said.</p>.<p>When asked, Deputy Conservator of Forests Prasanna Krishna Patagar said that he was yet to receive the complaint.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: At a time when the Sharavathi Valley Lion Tailed Macaque (LTM) Wildlife Sanctuary is in focus due to the proposed pumped storage project, an activist has written to the Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court stating that thousands of acres in the sanctuary have been encroached.</p>.<p>Conservationist Girish Achar, whose struggle has led to recovery of over a thousand acres of forest, stated in his petition that the forest covered by the Nagavalli and Kanapagaru beats in the middle of the sanctuary in Shivamogga has been destroyed by vested interests who have now submitted application for legalisation of the same under ‘Bagair Hukum’.</p>.<p>“Apart from this, 34 acres and 38 guntas in survey number 125 has been illegally granted to 15 persons in 1994-95. Prior permission from the Union government is mandatory for diversion of forest land. However, the tahsildar, Sagar, has misused his power to make the grants,” the complaint said.</p>.Ferry service at Sharavathi river will now be a memory.<p>The Sharavathy Valley Sanctuary came into existence with a notification dated June 27, 1974.</p>.<p>Achar said that instead of fortifying the boundary and buffer zone, the forest officers have taken up a survey and agreed for erroneous boundaries in the middle of the sanctuary.</p>.<p>“The government issued the Sharavathy Valley LTM Sanctuary notification in 2019 to add Jog State Forest and Channakonda State Forest to the sanctuary that existed since 1974. Instead of surveying and settling the rights of the claims in the newly added areas, the forest officials are surveying the Govardhanagiri State Forest which was declared as sanctuary in 1974. This survey violates the Wildlife (Protection) Act and is aimed at helping vested interests,” he said.</p>.<p>Achar requested early recovery of the forest land and action against officers. “I myself have seen about 600 acres in Kanapagaru, 300 acres each in Nagavalli and Urulugallu over the last five years. Protecting these forests is crucial to reduce man-animal conflict here,” he said.</p>.<p>When asked, Deputy Conservator of Forests Prasanna Krishna Patagar said that he was yet to receive the complaint.</p>