<p>Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner has reinstated the status of an 18-acre urban forest by overturning an assistant commissioner’s order, which had reclassified it as revenue land, potentially enabling land grabbers to claim ownership of the green space.</p>.<p>Last year, the Forest Department uncovered a conspiracy to seize 17 acres and 34 guntas of forest land near Bharatiya City in the northern part of the city, valued at over Rs 500 crore.</p>.<p>This land, located in survey number 47 Kothanur, has been designated as forest land since 1999-2000. Both the High Court and the Supreme Court had previously dismissed petitions from an association claiming the land.</p>.Bengaluru's Dorekere lake rich in biodiversity, says study.<p>By law, diverting forest land requires clearance from the Union government. However, in January 2023, the then assistant commissioner MG Shivanna issued a unilateral order reclassifying the land as government land, which would have led to widespread encroachments and land grabbing.</p>.<p>Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre ordered a vigilance probe and directed officials to secure the land. Following this, the Assistant Conservator of Forests, Bengaluru North Division, filed a petition before the Deputy Commissioner, Bengaluru Urban.</p>.<p>In an order dated July 10, Deputy Commissioner KA Dayananda cited court judgments and noted that Shivanna’s order violated the rules. “The order of the assistant commissioner (Shivanna) is hereby quashed. The revenue documents have to be restored to their original form,” the order stated.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the High Court of Karnataka dismissed a petition by S Muniyappa challenging the deputy commissioner’s order, dismissing his claim over a portion of the land in the same survey number (47). The court ruled that the petitioner had no legal right to seek the quashing of the deputy commissioner's decision.</p>.<p>"The land in question has been demarcated as a forest area; there is no ground for accepting the submission made by the learned counsel for the petitioner," stated the order by Justice ES Indiresh.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner has reinstated the status of an 18-acre urban forest by overturning an assistant commissioner’s order, which had reclassified it as revenue land, potentially enabling land grabbers to claim ownership of the green space.</p>.<p>Last year, the Forest Department uncovered a conspiracy to seize 17 acres and 34 guntas of forest land near Bharatiya City in the northern part of the city, valued at over Rs 500 crore.</p>.<p>This land, located in survey number 47 Kothanur, has been designated as forest land since 1999-2000. Both the High Court and the Supreme Court had previously dismissed petitions from an association claiming the land.</p>.Bengaluru's Dorekere lake rich in biodiversity, says study.<p>By law, diverting forest land requires clearance from the Union government. However, in January 2023, the then assistant commissioner MG Shivanna issued a unilateral order reclassifying the land as government land, which would have led to widespread encroachments and land grabbing.</p>.<p>Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre ordered a vigilance probe and directed officials to secure the land. Following this, the Assistant Conservator of Forests, Bengaluru North Division, filed a petition before the Deputy Commissioner, Bengaluru Urban.</p>.<p>In an order dated July 10, Deputy Commissioner KA Dayananda cited court judgments and noted that Shivanna’s order violated the rules. “The order of the assistant commissioner (Shivanna) is hereby quashed. The revenue documents have to be restored to their original form,” the order stated.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the High Court of Karnataka dismissed a petition by S Muniyappa challenging the deputy commissioner’s order, dismissing his claim over a portion of the land in the same survey number (47). The court ruled that the petitioner had no legal right to seek the quashing of the deputy commissioner's decision.</p>.<p>"The land in question has been demarcated as a forest area; there is no ground for accepting the submission made by the learned counsel for the petitioner," stated the order by Justice ES Indiresh.</p>