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Synopsis

In a contempt petition filed over the failure to renotify reserve forest tracts in Shimoga (Shivamogga) district despite its order, the Karnataka High Court has issued notices to the state's senior revenue and forest officials.

Earlier, Gireesh Achar had sought direction to the Additional Chief Secretary (forest, ecology, and environment) to withdraw the denotification after the forest department denotified reserve forests of 240 acres in Sudur and 20 acres in Kudi in the district in 2017 to aid in the rehabilitation of people who had been displaced by the construction of the Linganamakki dam. 

This was in violation of the requirements of the Forest Conservation Act and Karnataka Forest Act, which require permission from the environment ministry. Later, the court quashed the denotification on March 4, 2021, in response to the plea.

However, A year later, it has been alleged that the forest department failed to protect the forest land from encroachment while the Shivamogga deputy commissioner neglected to include the notified forest lands in revenue records.

It was the duty of these authorities to renotify the forest property when the court overturned the denotification, Achar's Advocate stated in court, adding that the forest land was being encroached upon and the department disregarded its duty.

[Input: The Indian Express]