Centre Seeks Action Against Officials Over Forest Act Violations in Belagavi
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has sought a detailed report from the Karnataka government on alleged violations of the Forest Act in Ramdurg taluk of Belagavi district. This is the second time the Centre has sought clarifications on the matter, which involves a proposal to divert forest land for non-forestry purposes.
The Ministry's regional office conducted a site inspection of the forest area near Doddamagadi in Ramdurg, where the Shree Sharada Devi Education Society has sought diversion of 0.9648 hectares of forest land. The inspection report observed that the proposal is non-site specific and could be located on non-forest land. The Ministry has directed the State government to furnish its comments on the findings.
Among the specific queries, the Ministry has sought the Keyhole Marker Language (KML) file of the Doddamagadi Tree Park to verify its boundaries. It has also asked the State government to identify the compound wall constructed around the proposed area, referencing a letter from the Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate of Belagavi dated September 11, 2025.
The Ministry noted that the regional office had rejected the proposal in 2018, but non-forestry activities were subsequently carried out on the proposed forest land. Officials have been asked to justify why a proposal rejected earlier is being considered again, especially when non-forestry activities have taken place despite the rejection.
In a separate query raised on August 14, the Union government questioned why two neighbouring forest diversion proposals have been submitted individually. It pointed out that the Deputy Commissioner's letter indicates both user agencies are registered at the same address, and sought justification for not submitting a single consolidated proposal.
The Ministry has also called for a detailed Action Taken Report against violators, including details of officials who failed to prevent the use of forest land for non-forestry purposes without prior approval. It has sought complete information on disciplinary action taken against the officials concerned.
The letter specifically asks about supervision and enforcement at different levels of the Forest Department, including the Chief Conservator of Forests, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Assistant Conservator of Forests, and Range Forest Officer. It also queries whether any official had granted permission for the use of forest land despite the initial rejection, and has sought the name and details of such an official if any. The Ministry has additionally asked for the status of the FIR filed in connection with the case.
According to local reports, forest officials had objected to construction work that began in 2017-18. An FIR was filed against the education society, and a proposal to clear forest area for construction of college buildings was rejected in 2018. Notices were issued to the society authorities at the time.
The alleged violations include the construction of a college building and the installation of a 72-foot-tall Lord Shiva statue, which was unveiled by Congress MLA Ashok Pattan in 2018. The Ministry's latest communication seeks to hold accountable those responsible for allowing non-forestry activities on protected land without the Centre's approval.
