Minister recommends suspension in forest case
disciplinary action
Supreme Court plea
HMT forest land
Indian Forest Service
Indian Administrative Service
Cabinet approval
real estate firms
Real estate firms have constructed hundreds of flats on it. This raises serious questions about how such usage was permitted
– Eshwar BK, Minister
Plan for urban park
Karnataka Forest, Ecology, and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre announced that disciplinary action has been recommended against four officials, two retired and two serving officers from the(IFS) and(IAS), for their involvement in the controversial proposal submitted to the Supreme Court withoutKhandre stated that over `14,000 crore worth of HMT land, which falls under forest classification, has not been officially converted for non-forest purposes. 'As per multiple Supreme Court judgments and the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, this land still qualifies as forest. However,have constructed hundreds of flats on it, film and television shoots are being held, and the land is being used for commercial purposes. This raises serious questions about how such usage was permitted,' he said.When asked why no action had been taken seven months after notices were issued to the officials involved, Khandre responded, 'This forest land under HMT is the property of 7 crore Kannadigas. Yet, a few officers, without bringing it to the then Forest Minister's notice or seeking prior Cabinet approval, filed an Interlocutory Application (IA) in the Supreme Court requesting denotification.'He confirmed that notices had been served to four officials and that he had formally recommended action to the Chief Minister, including the suspension of a senior IFS officer. In a related development, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests R Gokul has written to the CBI seeking protection, alleging that he is being made a scapegoat for penalising ruling party MLAs in the Belikeri illegal mining case. Responding to this, Khandre dismissed Gokul's claims as 'completely false accusations against the government.'The Minister revealed that he had written to the Additional Chief Secretary on September 24, 2024, instructing that action be taken against the officials who filed the IA without Cabinet approval. The Belikeri judgment was handed down a month later, in October 2024. 'Gokul is now levelling false charges against the government to cover up his misconduct. This can be seen as either misbehaviour or an intimidation tactic,' said Khandre.He also revealed that he inspected the HMT land and found around 280 acres of dense forest still intact. 'Despite this, the IA submitted to the Supreme Court a false claim that the land had lost its forest characteristics. If Gokul truly believed in the sanctity of the land, why didn't he write to the Chief Minister instead of the CBI?' he questioned.
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