Min: Reclaim encroached land to pay respect to martyred foresters

Bengaluru: Sending out a strong message to land sharks, forest minister Eshwar B Khandre on Monday called on officials to crack down on encroachment of forest lands in various parts of Karnataka. Taking part in Forest Martyrs’ Day in Bengaluru, Khandre’s message to foresters in the presence of CM Siddaramaiah hinted at what is expected to unfold in the coming days towards conservation of forest wealth following rising incidents of human-animal conflict.“More the encroachment of forest land, more will there be incidents of human-animal conflict. Hence it is the duty of every forester to honestly work towards safeguarding forest land and evict illegal squatters,” the minister said. Siddaramaiah, Khandre and housing and minority affairs minister Zameer Ahmed Khan paid homage to martyrs who laid down their lives while safeguarding the state’s green wealth.“We have lost 57 brave warriors until today and I salute all of them. If all of us were to pay respect to their martyrdom, then we must crack down on encroachers of forest land in a big way,” Khandre said.Panel to decide ESZ Amidst controversy over violation of eco-sensitive zone rules around protected areas and national parks, the government said the cabinet sub-committee will decide on recommending boundaries. The panel added energy minister KJ George as member.
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