Notice to religious bodies over tiger reserve encroachments

Bengaluru: Two prominent religious institutions and two businessmen are among those served eviction notices in the Biligiri Ranganatha Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve in Chamarajanagar district.

Some have obtained a stay from the Karnataka High Court.

The forest department’s action comes nearly eight years after the Upa Lokayukta ordered removal of encroachments in the protected area, where illegal land grants by revenue authorities are also an issue.  

While a large swath of encroachments is in survey number 4, where 114.25 acre has been illegally granted over years, the current eviction drive is focussed on survey number 2 (5.20 acre) and survey number 3 (13.10 acre).

Documents obtained under RTI show that the forest department has issued notices to encroachers in survey numbers 2 and 3.

As per the notices, 1 acre 28 gunta (survey number 2) owned by Sri Ramakrishna Ashram of Mysuru and 16 gunta ((survey number 3) owned by Sri Shivaratri Deshikendra Mahaswamy (Suttur Mutt) have been listed as encroachments.

Speaking on behalf of Suttur Mutt, Shivakumar, assistant director of JSS Mahavidyapitha, Mysuru, said the property was in the name of the mutt.

“We have been in possession since 1995. In 2007, the deputy commissioner of Chamarajanagar granted the conversion order where forest is not mentioned in the boundary. We were neither part of the joint survey nor received a copy of the same. We have requested for another survey,” he said.

A person from the Sri Ramakrishna Ashram sent a digital copy of the HC stay order to DH, but did not offer any response.

Similarly, S Venkata Satya Subramanya Gupta and M P Shyam, two businessmen, who are co-owners of 3 acre 28 gunta in survey number 2, have been listed as encroachers.

Gupta refused to comment.

According to sources, as many as eight individuals/entities were issued multiple notices in 2022, providing them an opportunity to prove the ownership of land. This year, the assistant conservator of forests (ACF), Yelandur, issued four notices.

While officials have managed to recover 3 acres and 32 gunta of encroached land in the tiger reserve over the last few days, the sources said a lack of coordination among various departments continues to provide loopholes to some of the encroachers.

“Political pressure made it difficult for foresters to take up any action against the encroachers,” the sources added.

They said an eviction operation planned by the Yelandur ACF was disrupted on May 29, allowing the encroachers to secure stay orders in the nick of time. 

The high court has ordered the forest department not to evict Ramakrishna Ashram from survey number 4. Sources said S Venkata Gupta and Shyam also managed to get a stay over the land in the same survey number.

A senior officer said one of the encroachers, against whom action is pending, has been trying to get an atrocity case registered against forest officers. “The order from the Upa Lokayukta, subsequent joint survey and other documents are very clear. However, vested interests are trying to stop the operation,” he said.

BRT Tiger Reserve Director B S Sripathi said some persons, who were issued notices, managed to get stay orders. “Some of the matters are sub judice. With regard to survey number 4, the stakeholders have completed the joint survey. Once it is finalised, we will proceed as per the law,” he said.