After the media, including The Hindu , exposed alleged illegal construction of a resort close to the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary in Chikkamagaluru district by honorary wildlife warden of the district Satish Gowda, the Minister for Forests, Environment and Ecology, B. Ramanath Rai, said the department would divest Mr. Gowda of the position if he has violated laws.
Legal action will be taken against the construction too if laws have been violated, Mr. Rai told The Hindu in Mangaluru on Tuesday. In mid January, the department found alleged illegal construction in Survey No. 216 in Siravase village, near the core area of Bhadra sanctuary.
Mr. Gowda did not get the land converted for non-agricultural use and constructed a pond, playground, cages, electric fence, water tank, and so on . The course of Somavahini stream was changed during the construction, while a 30-ft wide road was built by felling trees, the Forest Department had said.
‘No violation’
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Vinay Luthra told The Hindu that the alleged construction was not within the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. There is no law restraining/banning construction outside the sanctuary and the department has no control over such issues.
Claims and counter-claims on the land being revenue and forest are being investigated by the Head of Forest Force. If the construction is on revenue land, it is for the district administration to examine the legality/illegality of the nature of land use, Mr. Luthra said. He said Mr. Gowda neither changed the course of the stream nor built the road within the forest area.
