The controversy surrounding land allotment for Vishnuvardhan memorial has taken a new turn as the State government appears to be hounding the Forest Department official who sought to take action against Revenue Department authorities for sanctioning land in the buffer zone of Turahalli forest, one of the last vestiges of wooded areas in the city.
In a show-cause notice issued on January 9, M. Madan Gopal, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest, Ecology and Environment Department) has said that Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Land Records) Hari Kumar Jha did not follow due diligence while drafting the letter, on December 27, recommending action against Revenue officials.
Mr. Jha had sought action against the Revenue officials who had allotted 2 acres of land within 100 m (buffer zone) of Turahalli forest for the memorial without the consent of the Forest Department. This letter was withdrawn later based on a “settlement” between the two departments.
The show-cause notice claims Mr. Jha had not followed the procedure of informing the Chief Conservator of Forests (Bengaluru Circle) nor had he taken the permission from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests before recommending action against the Revenue officials.
“If the reply does not come within a week, we will take strict action against you for the lapses,” Mr. Gopal has said in the notice.
Meanwhile, claiming to have responded to the notice, Mr. Jha told The Hindu that there were “no lapses” in the manner of sending the letter. “There is no objection to the contents in the letter, just the manner of sending,” he said.
Clear stand soon
Commenting on the matter, a senior Forest official said it seemed like the department had “attempted” to wash its hands off the allotment of “verdant tree cover” for the memorial.
However, even after the “understanding” was reached with the Revenue Department, the Forest Department has been made a party in the petition in the High Court of Karnataka against the allotment.
The official said the department now had to take a “stand for or against the allotment” soon and present it to the court before the next hearing.
