The former Legislative Council Chairman B.K. Chandrashekar on Wednesday demanded that the State Government clarify the status of the two first information reports (FIRs) filed by the Forest Department on construction of roads inside a wildlife sanctuary in Kodagu district allegedly by some officers, including one IAS and one IFS officer, under pressure from two MLAs, including Speaker K.G. Bopaiah, and an MLC.
Speaking to presspersons, he said that the Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee which went into the illegal construction of roads, had indicted all these persons for flouting forest rules and destruction of forests.
He sought immediate closure of the roads by taking up plantation, as vacant space endangered the growth of forests.
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Taking Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Bharatiya Janata Party leader M. Venkaiah Naidu to task for not taking the issue seriously, Prof. Chandrashekar demanded an independent probe into the whole episode and stringent action against the former Deputy Commissioner of Kodagu Baladevakrishna and the former Conservator of Forests G.A. Sudarshan for allowing the road construction in the wildlife sanctuary.