Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The forest department launched massive anti-encroachment drive in Chandanpura village between Kaliyasot and Kerwan dam on Sunday. Chandanpura village is tiger movement territory and non-forest activities are prohibited there, according to National Green Tribunal (NGT) order.
Illegal buildings housing educational institutes have been removed from forest land. The issue of illegal construction was raised from time to time in Chandanpura village.
'We have destroyed sheds constructed for labourers or staff by people. When we came to know, forest department demolished it as it was on forest land,' Bhopal divisonal forest officer Alok Pathak said. Green activist Rashid Noor Khan said, 'Forest department has removed illegal construction from forest land.'
About 96 encroachments, structures exist in 33-metre buffer area of Kaliyasot reservoir and 33 encroachments are in 33-metre buffer area of Kerwa reservoir. Thus, there are 129 encroachments in the vicinity of both the dams. Out of 129, 84 encroachments are on government land in the vicinity of Kaliyasot and Kerwa reservoirs, according to governmentís second action taken report (ATR) submitted to NGT. The second report was necessitated after the green activists (petitioners) had questioned first ATR at NGT on September 14, 2023.
According to latest ATR, 80 people have encroached upon government land and raised 84 illegal structures, encroachments on the prohibited areas around two reservoirs. Encroachments have been found on government land in Barkhedikala, Chandanpura, Chhavni, Singhpur and Sewaniya Gond village.
