Revenue Department calls meeting on Kadugodi land which Forest Dept has vowed to preserve as lung space

Meeting to discuss the handover of the 'government land' and explore the possibility of converting it into an industrial park.

Bengaluru: Six months after the Forest Department reclaimed 120 acres in the Kadugodi plantation and vowed to preserve it as a lung space, the Revenue Department has convened a meeting to explore the possibility of converting the land into an industrial park.

In a letter to nine officials, Under Secretary Mahantaiah S Hosmath said the Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) will chair a meeting at 3.30 pm on Tuesday to discuss the handover of the “government land”.

Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre said he was unaware of the move. “Once a forest, always a forest. The Supreme Court has been clear. We want to preserve it as forest land,” he told DH.

In June 2025, the Forest Department recovered 128 acres, pegging its commercial value at over Rs 4,000 crore and calling it vital green cover for the city.

Revenue officials were unavailable for comment.

Of the nine invited to the meeting, only the Additional Chief Secretary represents the Forest Department; the rest are from Revenue, Commerce and Industries, KIADB, and the Bengaluru Urban district administration.

Forest sources said around 30 cases related to the land recovery are pending in the Karnataka High Court. “We fought hard to reclaim it. Preserving it as green space is essential, but there is pressure to develop it as a high-tech park,” a source said.