Forest dept to recover 13.5 acres of encroached land in East Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Following complaints of neglect and encroachment risks, the Forest Department is set to reclaim 13.5 acres of forest land in East Bengaluru.

Earlier this month, the Kasturinagar Welfare Association wrote to Forest, Ecology, and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre, highlighting the deteriorating condition of the 13-acre, 27-gunta land and the B Channasandra lake within it.

The association stated that the land, along with the lake, was under the Forest Department’s jurisdiction before 2010. The department had surveyed the area and installed boundary stones.

Responding to the complaint, Khandre forwarded it to the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests for action. Citing Bengaluru’s high land value and the need to preserve its green cover, he directed officials to conduct an immediate joint survey and take action against those responsible for the encroachment.