Latest news with #Section17
Hans India
a day ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Section 4 crisis to be resolved soon; will appeal to Centre, SC: Khandre
Bengaluru: Under Section 4 of the Forest Act 1963, the government has the option to abandon the land allocated before the notification, and a special proposal will be submitted to the Centre and the Supreme Court to provide justice to the people who have built houses and are cultivating for 30-40 years after the notification, said Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwara B Khandre. Presiding over a meeting held with Chikkamagaluru district MLAs and forest and revenue department officials at Vikas Soudha, he said that a request will be submit-ted to the Supreme Court and the Centre to give an alternative to the designated forest with residential areas, patta land, etc. and the land allocated after the Section 4 notification, and to abandon this land from the forest area. In many cases, even though Section 4 has been notified for 60-70 years, Section 17 is still not in effect. After the implementation of the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, it has become difficult to abandon such forests. Therefore, it is imperative to appeal to the Center and the Supreme Court. Chikkamagaluru district is in the Western Ghats and there is a rich forest area here. There is 300-400 acres of land in a single survey number, and there is confusion because there is no joint survey. In this context, he told the officials to conduct a joint survey of forest and revenue land and try to resolve the problem quickly. The survey number in the certificate submitted to the Supreme Court as a deemed forest also includes houses, government schools, government buildings, and land plots. Now that we have finally got the opportunity to submit a report to the Supreme Court, we can submit a petition to the Supreme Court by conducting a proper survey and determining the amount of land eligible for abandonment, and by providing revenue land elsewhere as an alternative and cultivating a forest there, Ishwar Khandre Forest Minister also instructed that the deemed forest certificate, which was al-ready submitted to the Supreme Court in 2022, be uploaded on the department's of-ficial website to make it available to the public. Responding to the request of the MLAs that the current 10 km buffer zone around the bear sanctuary in Arsikere limits of Hassan district is also causing hardship to the farmers of Chikkamagaluru in the border area, the Minister said that a proposal has been submitted to reduce this limit to 1 km. He assured that this problem will be resolved soon. Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre, who convened a meeting to discuss the problems being faced by the common people due to Section 4 of the Forest Act and the affected forest notification in Chikkamagaluru district, was thanked by MLAs Rajegowda, Thammanna, Nayana Motamma, Srinivas and Anand who participated in the meeting. Forest Force Chief Meenakshi Negi, Chief Wildlife Warden Subhash Malkade, PCCF BP Ravi, Biswajit Mishra, Chikkamagaluru District Commissioner Meena Na-garaj and others participated in the meeting.
IOL News
4 days ago
- General
- IOL News
Anger at WSU as students protest bail for residence manager accused of murder
Burned tyres and rocks litter the N2 outside WSU's Mthatha campus following a protest over the release of a murder suspect. Image: Facebook Three students from Walter Sisulu University (WSU) were arrested on Wednesday after a protest over the court-ordered release of a residence manager accused of murder. The protest turned violent at the institution's Mthatha main campus after news emerged residence manager Manelisi Mampane was granted a R10,000 bail by the Mthatha Magistrate's Court on Tuesday. Mampane is accused of fatally shooting student Sisonke Mbolekwa during a protest in April this year. Videos circulating on social media showed some students throwing stones at police officers who responded to the scene. IOL News previously reported that Mampane is facing charges of murder and two counts of attempted murder after two other students were also injured in the incident. Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana confirmed the arrests and acknowledged the deep frustration in the university community following the court's decision. 'We recognise the profound distress this case has caused within the university community,' Gantana said. 'SAPS affirms the constitutional right to peaceful protest under Section 17 but emphasises our mandate to ensure public safety, protect infrastructure, and uphold the rule of law without interfering in judicial independence.' Gantana said the court determined Mampane's release under standard legal procedures, and that police have no authority over judicial decisions. She added that the murder investigation remains active, prioritised, and ongoing in collaboration with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). She condemned acts of vandalism, arson, intimidation, and road blockades during the protest. 'Such criminal conduct diverts critical resources from the investigation and undermines the pursuit of justice,' she said. 'Public order units remain deployed to facilitate peaceful dissent while safeguarding lives and property.' She said the three students are expected to face charges of public violence, damage to infrastructure, and damage to property. Police confiscated wheelbarrows and sponge mattresses used by protesters. Meanwhile, education activist Hendrick Makaneta also condemned the violent nature of the protest. 'These acts are not only unlawful but dangerously irresponsible,' Makaneta said. 'They put innocent lives at risk and disrupt the daily lives and livelihoods of ordinary South Africans.'
