'Congress MLA blocking recovery of Kolar forest land'

Bengaluru: Forest officials trying to recover 180 acres of green patch from encroachers near Kolar city are facing harassment and threats, pointing fingers at an influential Congress MLA and a JD(S) MLC allegedly having some benami property in the encroached land, which has a total value over Rs 200 crore.

The Abbani mini forest is a patch of 619 acres spread across six villages in Huttur hobli of Kolar taluk. The Maharajas of Mysore had issued a notification for the protection of the forest area back in June 1936. However, its proximity to the rapidly expanding city of Kolar has made it vulnerable to encroachments.

Documents reviewed by DH show that at least 180 acre of the forest, located about 10 km from Kolar city, has come under illegal occupation.

Agriculture land in the area is being sold at over Rs 1 crore per acre in view of the realty boom in recent years; this means the encroached land could be worth around Rs 200 crore.

According to forest officials, there are around 75 encroachers in the area, among them a few are alleged to be the benamis of the MLC.

Efforts to protect the green patch from further encroachments have been thwarted by the ruling party lawmaker who has erected buildings on the encroached land.

“The MLC has built two buildings within the forest land. He has taken general power of attorney from encroachers who are in possession of about 10 acres. The officers are facing harassment on a daily basis for trying to do their job,” sources in the department said.

According to documents, an atrocity case has been filed against forest officers at the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement. The deputy superintendent of police asked the Range Forest Officer to present herself for inquiry in the wake of two individuals who had filed under Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. “No part of this operation had anything to do with the particular caste. However, we are paying the price for doing the job assigned by the government,” a forest officer told DH.

Forest officials began issuing eviction notices to the more than 75 encroachers in the area in 2023. In 2024, a joint survey was conducted with the revenue department before forest officers took possession of the land.

However, the forest officials had a big shock in May 2025, when Hanumantharayappa, the Assistant Director of Land Records (ADLR), Kolar taluk, made a U-turn stating that the joint survey was never conducted.

His statement was in contravention to documents and photographs of the joint survey.

The survey report dated September 6, 2024, identified encroachments and illegal grants in the forest.

However, on April 7, 2025, the same official had, while taking up an appeal in the Assistant Director of Land Revenue court of Kolar taluk, “stayed” the joint survey report.

He even said that the survey map, which he himself had signed in 2024, had several errors in it. “Therefore, it is appropriate to issue a stay order,” he ruled.

Hanumantharayappa could not be reached for a comment. However, sources said that the ADLR had come under pressure from a Congress MLA, which led to his U-turns.