Pune: Forest Department Clears Encroachment Bid On Reserved Land In Ambegaon's Kathapur Budruk

An attempt to encroach upon reserved forest land was thwarted by officials of the Manchar Range under the Junnar Forest Division in Kathapur Budruk village of Ambegaon taluka on Wednesday afternoon.

According to forest officials, a group of individuals had entered the reserved forest area and erected temporary huts in an apparent bid to claim the land. Acting swiftly on information received, a forest team reached the spot and urged the individuals to voluntarily remove the structures. When they failed to comply, the department dismantled the huts and initiated action under the provisions of the Indian Forest Act, 1927.

Officials said that groceries, utensils, food grains and other belongings brought by the group were returned to them, after which they were escorted out of the forest boundary.

Assistant Conservator of Forests, Junnar, Amrut Shinde stated that the individuals could not produce documentary proof establishing possession of the land prior to December 13, 2005, a key requirement under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. He added that their claims had already been rejected at multiple levels, including by the village-level Forest Rights Committee, the Sub-Divisional Level Committee and the District Level Committee chaired by the Pune District Collector.

Shinde further noted that the same individuals had previously attempted encroachment on reserved forest land, following which forest offence cases were registered. In earlier proceedings, the Judicial Magistrate First Class Court, Ghodegaon, had declared the encroachment illegal and convicted the accused. The matter is currently pending before the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes in New Delhi.

Forest officials highlighted that unauthorised entry and encroachment in reserved forest areas is a cognizable and non-bailable offence under the law and is punishable with imprisonment.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of Ashish Thakare, Conservator of Forests, Pune Forest Circle, and Prashant Khade, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Junnar, with the participation of forest officers and staff from the division. Local villagers, including former and current village representatives, were present during the action.