81,000 hectares of state's forests encroached

Imagine a forest of the size of Bengaluru city being wiped out. That's what has happened in Karnataka over the years. At least 81,776 hectares of forest land in the state is under encroachment — Bengaluru't total land area is 74,100 ha — according to the union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEF).

In South India, Karnataka is second only to Telangana where 1.83 lakh hectares of forest land is under encroachment, the MoEF data accessed by TOI shows. The union ministry says the protection and management of forests is primarily the responsibility of the states. Madhya Pradesh tops the list with 3.7 lakh hectares of forest land encroached, followed by Assam and Telangana. Karnataka is sixth on the list.

Sources in the state forest department said a majority of the encroachment in Karnataka is in Shivamogga district, followed by Chikmagalur and the Canara region. Karnataka had a total forest area of 43,35,647 hectares in 2013.

The sources, however, said these encroachments include some of the areas being used by forest dwellers. "Going by the data from the union ministry, there is no clarity on categorizations of encroachment," an official pointed out.

Asked about this, state forest and ecology minister B Ramanath Rai, told TOI: "I want to clear one thing: Not all of this encroachment happened after we came to power."

The MoEF has compiled only statistics shared by state governments. Union territories (UTs) Daman and Diu and Puducherry have reported no encroachment of forest land.Overall, 17.17 lakh hectares of forest land remains encroached across the country .

Stressing that the Congress government in Karnataka is serious about reclaiming forest land, Rai said, "The problem is a sensitive one. In many places there are several claims, and in some cases, the land may have been transferred. So we will have to take everything into account."

He added, "We are doing everything that law permits us to do to reclaim forest land."

TIMES VIEW

It's official. Karnataka has lost a major share of its forest cover, and encroachments continue unabated. With 81,776 hectares of forest land under encroachment, the state seems to be staring at a future where people are left with just concrete jungles. The Union ministry's report points at dwindling forests in many green districts. Though these encroachments include some areas being used by forest dwellers, it's no secret that trees are being felled and land is being possessed illegally by people with vested interests.Instead of political blame games, the government must take steps to reclaim the land forthwith and ensure the entire green cover is not further depleted.