Bengaluru, Oct 19: The Karnataka Forest Department has registered an FIR against senior KAS officers M G Shivanna and Ajit Kumar Rai for illegally changing the status of 18 acres of forest land worth Rs 500 crore.
In January 2023, then Assistant Commissioner Shivanna and Tahsildar Rai unilaterally changed the status of the forest parcel into "government land". Following a complaint, Forest Minister Eshwar B Khandre had ordered an inquiry.
The FIR comes days after the Minister directed the department to take necessary steps to recover the land and take action against those responsible for the illegal change of the land's status.
The two senior KAS officers have been booked under Karnataka Forest Act 1963's Section 33 (prohibition of encroachment), 104 (violation of provisions) and 104 c (which deals with abetment commission of offence).
A vigilance report by the department had noted that the two officers had no reasons to go against the 2006 order by their superior. "Prima facie, there is a conspiracy to grab the forest land," the report had said.
|