<p>Shivamogga: Former chairperson of the Karnataka Biodiversity Board Ananth Hegde Ashisara has written a letter to the forest minister demanding that the Forest Department reclaim the 70,000 acres of land leased to Mysore Paper Mills (MPM) in the Western Ghats. He urged the department to create and implement a development plan for forest lands.</p><p>In his letter, Ashisara pointed out that the Bhadravathi paper mill has been closed for several years, resulting in a loss of thousands of crores. Even private companies were not interested in running the mill and have set conditions to grow Acacia and Eucalyptus. In such case, leasing forest land to MPM violates the Forest Act.</p><p>He said that the land leased to MPM is a vital source of rare plants in the Western Ghats, such as Kanu, Gomala, medicinal plants, endangered species, Myristica, sandalwood, beete, deodara, and Sita Ashoka. He pointed out that 70,000 acres of government land vital for biodiversity is being misused and encroached upon, leading to environmental destruction. Despite repeatedly submitting petitions to the government for the past five years, no action has been taken.</p><p>“The Western Ghats is one of the most severely deforested areas in the country. Recently, Shivamogga district has been identified as a hotspot for deforestation. A survey by the Forest Survey of India has raised questions about the amount of land leased to MPM,” Ashisara said and called for a thorough investigation into this matter.</p><p>He further proposed that the government must implement a large-scale plan focusing on cultivating fruits and local plants on the land reclaimed from MPM. Village forest committees and biodiversity groups should also be involved in the process. This will prevent crop damage worth thousands of crores to farmers and preserve wildlife.</p>
<p>Shivamogga: Former chairperson of the Karnataka Biodiversity Board Ananth Hegde Ashisara has written a letter to the forest minister demanding that the Forest Department reclaim the 70,000 acres of land leased to Mysore Paper Mills (MPM) in the Western Ghats. He urged the department to create and implement a development plan for forest lands.</p><p>In his letter, Ashisara pointed out that the Bhadravathi paper mill has been closed for several years, resulting in a loss of thousands of crores. Even private companies were not interested in running the mill and have set conditions to grow Acacia and Eucalyptus. In such case, leasing forest land to MPM violates the Forest Act.</p><p>He said that the land leased to MPM is a vital source of rare plants in the Western Ghats, such as Kanu, Gomala, medicinal plants, endangered species, Myristica, sandalwood, beete, deodara, and Sita Ashoka. He pointed out that 70,000 acres of government land vital for biodiversity is being misused and encroached upon, leading to environmental destruction. Despite repeatedly submitting petitions to the government for the past five years, no action has been taken.</p><p>“The Western Ghats is one of the most severely deforested areas in the country. Recently, Shivamogga district has been identified as a hotspot for deforestation. A survey by the Forest Survey of India has raised questions about the amount of land leased to MPM,” Ashisara said and called for a thorough investigation into this matter.</p><p>He further proposed that the government must implement a large-scale plan focusing on cultivating fruits and local plants on the land reclaimed from MPM. Village forest committees and biodiversity groups should also be involved in the process. This will prevent crop damage worth thousands of crores to farmers and preserve wildlife.</p>
